Taiwan should not rule out any energy source or abandon environmental sustainability in favor of ideology and short-term benefits, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview, calling for a “professional assessment” of whether nuclear power should be reintroduced into Taiwan’s energy mix. In an online interview with influencer Yu Ting-hao (游庭皓) that aired yesterday, Lai reiterated his position on nuclear power. SHIFT
President William Lai, left, speaks in an interview with Internet influencer Yu Ting-hao in Taipei in an undated photograph.
Photo courtesy of Presidential Office
Lai’s remarks marked a shift from the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP’s) longstanding opposition to nuclear power. As premier from 2017 to 2019, Lai pushed for more gas-fired power capacity while sticking to the DPP’s nuclear free homeland ideology and rejected the idea of extending the service life of its nuclear power plants.
Taiwan phased out nuclear energy in May last year, fulfilling the nuclear free homeland pledge. That occurred as Taiwan continued to rely on fossil fuels for more than 80 percent of its electricity mix, and questions remained over the electricity supply given the country’s development of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. In the interview with Yu, Lai said the Legislative Yuan has passed bills providing a legal basis for reintroducing nuclear power, and state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) has been making preparations accordingly. The government would begin work to resume nuclear power generation if nuclear safety and nuclear waste disposal issues can be resolved through a professional assessment in a way that wins public support, Lai said. AI INDUSTRYMeanwhile, asked how the government would balance efforts to develop the AI industry against the regulation of AI applications, Lai said it would promote the industry’s responsible development. He cited the Artificial Intelligence Basic Act (人工智慧基本法), which took effect in January, saying it requires the government to uphold human autonomy, privacy, information security, fairness, non-discrimination, transparency and accountability while developing the AI industry. To prevent AI from exacerbating the uneven distribution of wealth and resources between the high-tech and non-tech sectors, Lai said the government would provide NT$100 billion (US$3 billion) over eight years to help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises transform their businesses.