The Nuclear Safety Commission says it's rigorously reviewing Taiwan Power's
plan to restart the number 3 nuclear power plant, adding that the process
cannot be sped up.

The comments come after President Lai Ching-te admitted at the 23rd National
NGOs Environmental Conference yesterday that the government is facing
difficulties in energy supplies.

Participants also said the President believes that nuclear energy development
should be reconsidered in light of strong demand for electricity and advances
in safety technology.

The N-S-C received TaiPower's plan on March 27th and confirmed on April 8th
that all necessary documents were complete and the review process had begun.

N-S-C chair Chen Ming-zhen (陳明真) today stressed that the process cannot be
rushed and must proceed step by step to ensure every stage meets safety
requirements.

Meanwhile with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's plan of building five
2-nanometer foundries in Kaohsiung, environment groups have expressed grave
concerns.

They said it means the coal and natural gas-fired Xing-da (興達) power plant
is set to add new generators, leading to more pollution.

(JL)