Hsieh Shou-shing
謝曉星
Minister of Atomic Energy Council of the Republic of China
In office
20 May 2016 – 11 January 2023
DeputyTsai Huei-min, Huang Tsing-tung, Chiu Tzu-tsung, Chang Ching-wen, Liu Wen-chung
Preceded byChou Yuan-chin
Succeeded byChang Ching-wen
Personal details
Born (1950-12-08) 8 December 1950
Hsinchu City, Taiwan
NationalityRepublic of China
Alma materTatung Institute of Technology
National Taiwan University
Drexel University
Ohio State University

Hsieh Shou-shing (traditional Chinese: 謝曉星; simplified Chinese: 谢晓星; pinyin: Xiè Xiǎoxīng; born 8 December 1950) is a Taiwanese politician who served as minister of the Atomic Energy Council from 20 May 2016 to his removal from office on 11 January 2023.

Academic career

Hsieh obtained his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tatung Institute of Technology in 1973, master's degree in mechanical engineering from National Taiwan University in 1978, master's degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University in the United States (US) in 1980, master's and doctoral degrees in from Ohio State University in the US in 1981 and 1983 respectively.[1] He returned to Taiwan in 1984, to join the National Sun Yat-Sen University faculty, where he was promoted to full professor in 1989. Hsieh chaired the department of mechanical engineering between 1990 and 1996, when he was named dean of engineering. He held the deanship until 2002. Hsieh is an emeritus National Chair Professor, as designated by the Ministry of Education, and held the Distinguished Chair Professorship from 2011 to 2017.[2]

While he taught at NSYSU, Hsieh was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1995.[3]

Political career

Hsieh was named minister of the Atomic Energy Council in April 2016, and took office on 20 May, with other members of the Executive Yuan formed by Lin Chuan.[4] Shortly after assuming their ministerial posts, Hsieh and economic affairs minister Lee Chih-kung were sued by anti-nuclear activists, after Lee had proposed reactivating the first reactor at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant.[5] The reactor had been shut down since December 2014, during the ministerial tenure of Tsai Chuen-horng.[6] At the time the plant was decommissioned, Taipower was unable to remove as many spent fuel rods as planned, due to storage limits.[7] Activists filed a separate lawsuit against premier Lin Chuan.[8] In response to allegations that the AEC's previous actions had favored Taipower, Hsieh vowed to increase the council's transparency and invite public participation.[9] In June 2017, Hsieh was questioned about plans to convert the loading pools at Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant to fuel storage sites.[10] Hsieh retained his role when William Lai became premier.[11] In November 2017, Hsieh reported to the Legislative Yuan about the AEC's plans to decommission three nuclear power plants, and subsequently convert them to geothermal power plants.[12]

In March 2018, Hsieh announced the imminent restart of the second reactor at Guosheng, which had been closed since May 2016, due to a glitch in its electrical grid.[13] He repeatedly reiterated the government's intent to phase out nuclear power by 2025, as well,[14][13] but was called to devise an updated policy alongside the Ministry of Economic Affairs when a proposal to repeal a related article in the Electricity Act was adopted during the 2018 Taiwanese referendum.[15] In 2019, Hsieh described proposals to activate the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant as impractical for budgetary and seismological reasons,[16][17] and continued reporting on efforts to send fuel rods meant for the plant back to the United States.[17][18] In 2021, the Japanese government stated that it would begin releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean. Taiwan's representative to Taiwan, Frank Hsieh, faced calls to report to the legislature and be recalled from or resign his post.[19] Following the Japanese announcement, the AEC sent a number of Taiwanese researchers to investigate wastewater discharged from Daiichi.[20] Hsieh Shou-shing planned to send a Taiwanese delegation and government funds to participate in a United Nations mission to review Daiichi wastewater discharge.[21] The AEC also considered starting a fund to compensate Taiwanese fishers affected by contaminated wastewater.[22]

In October 2022, Mirror Media reported on allegations of physical and verbal harassment against Hsieh, who was duly placed under investigation by the Executive Yuan, and granted leave in December.[23][24] Following the end of the investigation, Hsieh was removed from office on 11 January 2023.[25][26] In July, the Control Yuan voted unanimously to impeach Hsieh.[27]

References

  1. ↑ "Minister and Deputy Ministers". Atomic Energy Council. 28 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Brief". National Sun Yat-Sen University. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "ASME Fellows List" (PDF). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Loa, Iok-sin (29 April 2016). "Premier-designate presents final Cabinet picks". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Chen, Wei-han (31 May 2016). "Activists file suit over Jinshan reactor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Chen, Wei-han (14 June 2016). "Reactor restart chance 'virtually zero'". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Chen, Wei-han (6 June 2016). "Campaigners to sue premier over Jinshan reactor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Chen, Wei-han (7 June 2016). "Premier Lin Chuan sued over reactor restart idea". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Chen, Wei-han (3 June 2016). "Transparency key to AEC's future, minister promises". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Pan, Jason (3 June 2017). "Halt nuclear plant storage project: NPP lawmaker". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Chen, Wei-han (8 September 2017). "Lai to replace two Cabinet ministers, retain all others". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Lin, Chia-nan (7 November 2017). "Nuclear facility might see use as geothermal plant". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  13. 1 2 "No. 2 nuke power plant's 2nd reactor could restart by end-March". Central News Agency. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Republished as: "Guosheng's second reactor to be back online in weeks". Taipei Times. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  14. ↑ Lin, Chia-nan (13 June 2017). "Council approves Taipower request to restart reactor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  15. ↑ "MOEA to put forth new energy policy in two months". Central News Agency. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "Latest survey finds active faults near nuclear plant: activists". Central News Agency. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Republished as: "Fault lines should nix reactor proposal: group". Taipei Times. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Restarting No. 4 nuclear plant project could cost NT$70 billion: AEC". Central News Agency. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Republished as: Lin, Chia-nan (15 March 2019). "Finishing nuclear plant impractical: minister". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "More fuel rods at fourth nuclear power plant sent back to U.S." Central News Agency. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  19. ↑ Hsiao, Sherry (23 April 2021). "KMT urges recall of envoy to Japan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Chen, Yun (25 April 2021). "Lawmaker orders Japan envoy Frank Hsieh to report". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Chen, Yun; Chung, Jake (1 May 2021). "KMT caucus calls for resignation of envoy to Japan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  20. ↑ "Taiwan team to look into Fukushima nuclear plant's wastewater release". Central News Agency. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Republished as: "Taiwanese experts to examine Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water". Taipei Times. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Madjar, Kayleigh (22 March 2022). "Taiwanese team to visit Fukushima plant". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  21. ↑ "Taiwan to allocate NT$500 million to monitor Japan's radioactive water". Central News Agency. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022. "Taiwan seeks to join U.N. mission monitoring Japan wastewater plan". Central News Agency. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022. "Fukushima monitoring plans unveiled". Taipei Times. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Taiwan mulls compensation claims in wake of Japan nuclear waste plan". Central News Agency. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  23. ↑ Chen, Cheng-yu; Yang, Yuan-ting; Chung, Jake (5 October 2022). "Cabinet to investigate harassment claims against atomic council boss: Su". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  24. ↑ Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Ko, Lin (3 December 2022). "Atomic energy minister takes leave over sexual harassment accusations". Central News Agency. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Lai, Yu-chen; Tseng, Chi-yi; Lee, Hsin-Yin (11 January 2023). "Atomic energy minister dismissed for sexual harassment". Central News Agency. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  26. ↑ Chung, Li-hua; Chung, Jake (12 January 2023). "AEC minister fired over sex harassment claims". Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Control Yuan impeaches former AEC minister". Taipei Times. 17 July 2023.
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