The Study of the Policy of Nuclear Power Generation: A Perspective of Policy Argumentation

• Main Authors: Yen-chin Tu, 杜炎磬
• Other Authors: Yu-chang Ke
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/srk2vz

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 公共行政與政策學系 === 103 === Abstract Energy policy has become an indispensable strategy in the overall strategy to cope with global climate change. In the process of implementing energy policy, factors such as degree of acceptance of society and social consequences are vital to the success or failure of the said policy. In the 1960s, Taiwan had crossed from hydraulic power generation to coal, petroleum, and natural gas fired power generation. Despite the fact that Taiwan has coal mines, unsteady oil supply from politically undulating Middle East at the time had hampered the development of Taiwan's fledging economy. In order to pursue large and steady supply of electric power, Taiwan had come up with the idea of building its first nuclear plant. In the 1970s and not long before the government decided to the first nuclear power plant, the first oil crisis happened. This had drastically increased thermal power generation cost. This had helped in the inclusion of the first nuclear power plant in “Ten Major Construction Projects.” The first and second power generating units of the plant were completed and became commercially operational in succession in late 1970s. In addition to the first nuclear plant in “Ten Major Construction Projects,” the government has also planned the second and third nuclear power plants in the twelve infrastructural construction projects which are implemented with “Ten Major Construction Projects” at the same time. The said two plants will be commercially operational in early 1980s and contribute greatly to Taiwan’s economic development and power supply. Excluding the fourth nuclear plant which is still undergoing safety check, Taiwan has three nuclear power plants: first nuclear power plant is located in Shihmen, New Taipei City; second nuclear power plant, Wanli, New Taipei City; and third nuclear power plant, Hengchun, Pingtung County. Taiwan’s nuclear power generating policy, which was unchallenged for a long time, began to catch people’s attention after three major nuclear safety hazards, namely Three Mile Island Incident of the U.S. （1979）, Chemobyl of former Soviet Union （1986）, and Fukushima of Japan　（2011）. Taiwan’s nuclear safety issue is again put on the table especially after Fukushima Incident. This is because Taiwan and Japan are neighbors and both are located in Pacific Rim Fault Zone. Fukushima experience naturally became an important lesson for Taiwan catching the highest attention. Since 1980s, the issue of environmental protection has gradually become an issue catching wide public attention in Taiwan as a result of multiple impacts such as industrial pollution in various places, surging international environmental protection movement, and local waves of democracy. At this moment when economic and technology have greatly advanced, electric power is an indispensable form of power for Taiwan, its enterprises, and its communities. How to keep abundant and steady supply of electric power has become an important part of Taiwan’s energy policy. As energy and electric power are being widely used, their damage to the environment is also getting more and more serious. Of many environmental issues, the application of fossil energy has caused problems of air pollution, acid rain, and global warming as well as potential nuclear power disaster, damage of radiation, and problem of nuclear waste disposal. All these are issues catching the attention of people of Taiwan. The purposes of this research are: A. understanding factors contributing to Taiwan’s adoption of nuclear power policy and exploring in-depth this highly disputed policy through analyses of literature as well as interviews; B. Applying the policy argument mode of William N. Dunn; analyzing extensively contents of 17 interviewees with pros and cons in greatly disputed argumentations in Taiwan’s nuclear power policy and classifying such contents into the following aspects: a. electric power supply b. nuclear power safety c. environment d. electric power generating cost e. nuclear waste processing and disposal; C. Evaluating credibility of theories of pros and cons in the said five aspects and taking it as a reference to ensuing policy-making. Conclusion of this research has explored the said five aspects respectively and discovered that people supporting Taiwan’s nuclear power policy have higher credibility in aspects of electric power supply and environment. However, in aspects of nuclear power safety, electric power generating cost and nuclear waste processing and disposal, their credibility is low. This research has also provided suggestions to the above-mentioned argumentations.