Minister affirms nuclear plant shutdown despite opposition proposal

Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) on Wednesday dismissed opposition party efforts to amend the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act to keep the No. 2 unit at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant online, insisting Taiwan's last remaining commercial nuclear reactor will shut down as scheduled on May 17.

Speaking before the Legislative Yuan's Economics Committee, Kuo said that under current law, the reactor must be unloaded on May 17.

He added that the reactor's remaining nuclear fuel would last only until the end of the month.

Kuo told lawmakers that restarting the reactor in Taiwan's southern county of Pingtung would take "at least 16 to 18 months" due to the time needed to purchase new fuel rods and complete safety procedures.

The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) have pushed to revise the law to allow for the reactor's continued operation due to concerns over electricity prices and energy security.

At a KMT news conference on Thursday, KMT lawmaker Wang Yu-min (王育敏) warned that retiring the reactor would increase dependence on fossil fuels, driving up prices and straining national security.

Wang also noted that Taiwan's natural gas reserves would last "only seven to 10 days" in the event of a blockade, a vulnerability she said was growing amid "frequent" military activity by China.

KMT lawmaker Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) said the conditions Kuo previously outlined for a possible extension -- public consensus, nuclear safety and proper waste management -- had already been met.

She said recent polling data showed "nearly 70 percent public support for extending nuclear energy use" and referenced Presidential Office climate adviser Tung Tzu-Hsien (童子賢), who in March had emphasized the importance of nuclear energy to Taiwan.

KMT lawmaker Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞) called on the administration to halt its planned phaseout, questioning why the government refuses to decommission aging coal-fired units if Taiwan's power supply is as stable as officials claim.

Ko said he hoped the government would "pull back from the brink."