CONCERN OVER THE SAFETY OF THE PLAPT. IN THIS CONNECTION, MRS. CHOW STRESSED THAT IT WAS WRONG TO COMPARE DAYA BAY AND CHERNOBYL AS
THE DESIGNS OF THE REACTORS WERE DIFFERENT.
16. DR. KIM CHAM WAS A MEMBER OF THE MINORITY WHO ACCEPTED THAT IT WAS NOT EASY TO EVALUATE THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AT THIS STAGE BEARING IN MIND THAT THE FUEL COSTS AND OTHER FACTORS WERE FLUCTUATING. HE MAINTAINED THAT SAFETY WAS THE DETERMINING FACTOR IN THE ANALYSIS OF DAYA BAY SINCE THE COST OF A NUCLEAR DISASTER WOULD NULLIFY ALL OF ITS ECONOMIC BENEFITS. ON SAFETY, PROFESSOR POON CHUNG-KWONG, AS A SCIENTIST HIMSELF, CLARIFIED THAT A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT COULD NEVER EXPLODE LIKE A NUCLEAR BOMB. FURTHERMORE, DAYA BAY, UNLIKE CHERNOBYL, HAD A STRONG CONTAINMENT BUILDING WHICH COULD WITHSTAND PRESSURES OF
AT LEAST 10 ATMOSPHERES.
17. MR. THOMAS CLYDESDALE, WHO REPRESENTED THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR, WARNED THAT ANTI-NUCLEAR GROUPS COULD USE THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER TO STIR UP THE PUBLIC AGAINST DAYA BAY. HE CONCEDED THAT RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR POWER IN CHINA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD WAS INEVITABLE AND THERE WAS LITTLE DOUBT THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE THE MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY OF THE FUTURE. HE STRESSED THAT WE MUST NOT ALLOW CHERNOBYL TO DISTORT THE SAFETY RECORD OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS OUT OF ALL PROPORTION NOR TO ALLOW SCARE TACTICS BY THOSE OPPOSED NUCLEAR POWER TO INFLUENCE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC UNDULY. MR. CLYDESDALE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE COST OF ELECTRICITY FROM DAYA BAY WOULD BE LOWER THAN THAT OF LOCALLY-GENERATED POWER. THIS VIEW WAS ECHOED BY MR. WONG PO-YAN WHO SAID THAT WE HAD THE PEASON TO BELIEVE THAT THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY FROM DAYA BAY WOULD BE
CHEAPER NOT ONLY FOR THE FIRST SIX YEARS BUT FOR MANY YEARS
THEREAFTER.
18. APART FROM THE 21 MEMBERS REFERRED TO IN PARAS. 2 TO 17 ABOVE,
OTHER 12 MEMBERS ALSO SPOKE ON DAYA DAY. THE REMAINING 12 MEMBERS
WERE MRS. PAULINE NG, MPS. ROSANNA TAM, MR. TAM YIU-CHUNG, MR. CHAN YING-LUN, DR. DANIEL TSE, MR. POON CHI-FAI, DR. RICHARD LAI, FER CHENG YAG LUNG, FR, PANG CHUC-HOI, FR. YEUNG PC-KHOAN, M CHENG HON-KWAN AND MR. HILTON. CHEONG-LEEN. THEIR SPEECHES WERE, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, LESS EXCITING. ACCORDINGLY, SUCH SPEECHES
WERE NOT DESCRIBED IN THIS TELEGRAM.
19. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY DELIVERED A 25-PAGE SPEECH ON DAYA BAY
SHORTLY BEFORE THE MOTION WAS PASSED. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY
SAID AT THE OUTSET THAT THE GOVERNMENT WARMLY SUPPORTED THE
MOTION. HE PROMISED TO ISSUE A PAPER WHICH WOULD PROVIDE, AS FAR
AS THE GOVERNMENT WAS ABLE, THE INFORMATION SOUGHT IN THE MOTION.
HE THEN GAVE AN OUTLINE OF THE SALIENT POINTS THAT WOULD BE
COVERED IN THAT PAPER AND SET OUT, IN DETAIL, THE GOVERNMENT'S
COMMENTS ON THE SEVEN OBSERVATIONS MADE BY THE LEGCO FACT-FINDING DELEGATIONS. THE MEDIA, IN THEIR REPORTS, HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE
FINANCIAL SECRETARY HAD REJECTED CALLS FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO
FELEASE COMMERCIALLY SENSITIVE INFORMATION AS THIS WOULD MAKE
-5- RESTRICTED
I THE
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