TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) voiced strong opposition Tuesday (Aug. 26) to New Taipei City Councilor Lin Ping-yu's (林秉宥) proposal for temporarily storing high-level nuclear waste in Kinmen (金門). The controversial suggestion emerged after Taiwan's nuclear power plant referendum on August 23, where Kinmen County recorded the nation's highest approval rate. Chen's rejection highlights growing tensions over nuclear waste storage solutions across Taiwan's outlying islands.
Chen stated that she and local residents would unanimously oppose any government decision to store nuclear waste on populated Kinmen Island. She proposed the uninhabited Erdan Island (二膽島) as a safer alternative location for waste storage operations. Chen emphasized that the remote island offers superior safety conditions due to its complete lack of residents and the possibility of military oversight for enhanced security purposes and environmental protection.
Chen also recommended that if nuclear waste storage proceeds on the island, the central government should provide substantial funding to boost Kinmen's economy. She cited the compensation package for Orchid Island (蘭嶼) totaling NT$2.55 billion (around US$84 million) provided 40 years ago as precedent. Chen expressed agreement with Lin's proposal to purchase nuclear power from China, arguing it could significantly reduce Taipower's, Taiwan's state power company, operational costs.
A proposal on the Executive Yuan's, Taiwan's cabinet, Public Policy Online Participation Network Platform (公共政策網路參與平台) suggests storing nuclear waste in Kinmen, Lienchiang (連江縣), and Miaoli (苗栗縣), the three counties with the highest referendum approval rates. The controversial proposal garnered over 8,000 supporters within just four days of posting. Government regulations require that if proposals receive over 5,000 endorsements, responsible authorities must provide detailed explanations and evaluate potential policy inclusion within two months. ◼