TAIPEI: The Taiwan government will halt construction at the island’s fourth nuclear power plant, an official said yesterday, as local opposition to atomic energy continues to mount.
President Ma Ying-jeou met with lawmakers from his Kuomintang Party (KMT) and reached a decision to seal off the plant’s first reactor after the completion of safety checks, KMT spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi told reporters.
Construction of the second reactor will be halted immediately, the spokesman added.
The move is the latest sign of pressure on Ma’s administration from opposition parties and anti-nuclear activists, who are concerned about the safety of such facilities in earthquake-prone regions of Taiwan following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Taipei over the weekend, urging the government to abandon nuclear energyReuters
