Taiwan Power (Taipower), frustrated by a lack of progress by government agencies in relocating its low-level waste (LLW), has started its own search for a LLW repository site.
Three years ago, Taipower proposed to the government that its LLW, most of which is being stored on Lanyu Island, be disposed of on Wuchiu Island, which is very close to the Chinese mainland. Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian had pledged to find a solution for the 100,000 200-litre drums of LLW that will be stored on Lanyu by the end of 2003. Officially, the Wuchiu project is still under review.
Meanwhile, Taipower has been working with politicians in another location, the town of Tawu in Taitung County, to get their approval for locating a LLW repository there, in exchange for monetary compensation.
Should Taipower select a site for evaluation, it would have to notify the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which would apportion funds in its budget to carry out an environmental and safety investigation.
