Opposition parties pushing back against government’s reactor phaseout
Taiwan will hold a national referendum on restarting a nuclear power plant that it shut down earlier this month, potentially opening up a path to reversing the government’s nuclear phaseout policy.
The referendum, to be held on 23 August, will decide whether the Maanshan-2 nuclear power plant should resume operations, according to a statement from Taiwan’s Central Election Commission.
Maashan-2, in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, was Taiwan’s last operating commercial nuclear power plant and was permanently shut down by state nuclear operator Taipower at midnight on 17 May, fulfilling the government’s promise to make the Asian island nation “nuclear-free”.
The 938-MW pressurised water reactor unit began commercial operation in 1985. Taipower had previously shut down the Maanshan-1 nuclear power plant, a 936-MW PWR that began commercial operation in 1984, in July 2024, leaving only Maanshan-2 online.
The referendum was proposed by pro-nuclear opposition parties that have pushed back against the ruling party’s pledge to phase out nuclear power by this year.
A similar referendum in 2021 narrowly decided not to restart construction of the mothballed Lungmen nuclear power station project.
The Lungmen project, known in Taiwan as the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, was to consist of two advanced boiling water reactor units, each of 1,300 MW net.
Work had been suspended since July 2014 following environmental protests over what campaigners said were the potential dangers of nuclear power. The project was also delayed by political arguments and price increases.
Soaring Energy Demand Has Rekindled Nuclear Debate
Soaring energy demand driven by the island’s semiconductor industry is rekindling the debate about nuclear energy. The country’s electricity needs are expected to rise by 12-13% by 2030, largely driven by the boom in artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The island’s appetite for power complicates Taipei’s pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, a pledge which is heavily dependent on raising renewable energy production to about 60-70% of the total from about 12% at present.
Nuclear power advocates argue that the energy source is the most feasible way for Taiwan to reach its competing industrial and environmental goals.
Lawmakers recently revised a nuclear power bill allowing nuclear plants, which could previously only operate for 40 years, to extend or renew their licenses for up to 20 years at a time.
But any restarts will take time. Taiwan’s premier Cho Jung-tai said that according to Taipower it would take more than three years to review safety before nuclear plants can be restarted.
In 2023, nuclear accounted for about 6.9% of Taiwan’s electricity production, which is dominated by coal and liquified natural gas.
Taipower said that with the closure of Maanshan-1, the share of power generated by nuclear sources would fall to 2.8%.
At one point, nuclear energy from six reactors in Taiwan provided more than half of heavily industrialised island’s electricity.
