week3-Taiwan nuclear plant

Taiwan nuclear plant prompts protests

Francis Kuo, Taichung

Taiwan

April 12, 2013

More than 100 artists are participating in an anti-nuke exhibit opening today in Taichung.

It is the first large scale anti-nuclear campaign since an island-wide, 200,000-person protest in early March forced the government to consider a referendum on the Lungmen Nuclear Plant by the end of the year.

“The Taiwan Power Company overestimates its ability to cope with all technical issues of the Lungmen Plant,” said Tsai Chih-hao, executive secretary of the Taiwan Academy of Ecology.

“The government should squarely face the consequences and not shun its responsibility by introducing a highly controversial referendum,” Tsai said.

The Lungmen Plant began construction in 1999 but has been delayed several times due to political controversy. It had to delay commercial operations expected in 2012 after revelations of construction mismanagement.

Meanwhile, the ruling Nationalist Party today led a vote in the legislature against a proposal to stop construction altogether. 

The public is particularly concerned about nuclear safety after Japan’s Fukushima disaster. Taiwan lies on a seismic belt and has experienced several earthquakes in the past year.

The Lungmen Plant is located in northern Taiwan, close to the capital city of Taipei. Six million people would be affected in the event of an accident.

It will be Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant. Taiwan’s current three provide 15 percent of the country’s electricity, a recent study found. 

In a press conference today, exhibit organizer Chen Yu-feng said the display is “a social movement to demand that the Taiwan government stops the construction of Lungmen Nuclear Plant immediately and abolishes the referendum.”

http://www.ucanews.com/news/taiwan-nuclear-plant-prompts-protests/68003

 Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-More than 100 artists who participating in an anti-nuke exhibit

   WHEN-today

   WHAT-200,000-person protest in early March forced the government to consider a referendum on the Lungmen Nuclear Plant by the end of the year

  WHY-The Taiwan Power Company overestimates its ability to cope with all technical issues of the Lungmen Plant

   WHERE-Taichung

   HOW-not given

Keywords：

   1. Anti-nuke反核

   2. campaign 運動

   3. referendum公投

   4. overestimates高估

   5. controversial爭論的

   6. revelations啟示

   7. mismanagement管理不善

   8. seismic belt地震帶

   9. press conference記者會

  10. abolish廢除