Taiwan reverses course on nuclear phase-out, plans to restart reactor by 2028

Taiwan, which had pursued a nuclear phase-out policy, has decided to restart its No. 3 nuclear reactor — whose commercial operation ended last year — around 2028. The move follows similar reversals in the United States and Japan, and marks Taiwan's own pivot toward nuclear energy to secure its power supply.

Taiwanese media including China Times reported Thursday that the island's Nuclear Safety Commission launched final administrative procedures Wednesday for a restart plan that Taiwan Power Co. (TPC) submitted in March for the No. 3 reactor. The restart plan is expected to enter formal review shortly, and sources inside the commission said the reactor could be back online as early as 2028.

Former President Tsai Ing-wen had pledged to shut all six reactors at Taiwan's nuclear plants by 2025 and replace them with renewable energy. Last May, the commercial operating license for the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant — the No. 3 reactor located in Hengchun, Pingtung County in the south — expired, making Taiwan the third country after Germany and Italy to complete a nuclear phase-out.

The restart debate gained momentum as soaring electricity demand driven by AI development combined with growing energy security concerns. Those concerns deepened after pro-US independence advocate Lai Ching-te took office in 2024, amid Chinese military threats including a potential blockade of Taiwan.

The Maanshan plant has historically supplied 5 percent of Taiwan's total electricity generation. Although its commercial operating license expired last year, the Lai administration has pushed to bring it back online. Adding to the urgency, TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry, consumes 9 percent of Taiwan's total national electricity supply.

A public referendum held last August on restarting the No. 3 reactor saw 74 percent of voters in favor, but the measure failed to clear the legal threshold requiring support from more than 25 percent of all registered voters. Observers say Lai is aware of that public sentiment and is pursuing the restart to claim credit for stabilizing the power supply — positioning himself for a re-election bid in the 2028 presidential election.

As public opinion in favor of a restart solidified, Nuclear Safety Commission Section Chief Chen Yen-fu said the commission would carefully verify whether the safety technology assessment report and related documents meet regulatory requirements and safety standards.

Because the No. 3 reactor accounts for 5 percent of Taiwan's electricity output, restarting it is expected to replace coal-fired generation and help stabilize electricity prices.

Yeh Tsung-kuang, dean of the Institute of Nuclear Science at National Tsing Hua University, said the reactor is likely to be restarted before June 2028, calling the move a clear sign that the Lai administration has committed to shifting its energy policy away from the nuclear phase-out.

Meanwhile, TPC data show that natural gas accounts for the largest share of Taiwan's total electricity generation at 47.2 percent, followed by coal at 31.1 percent. Including oil at 1.4 percent, fossil fuels make up 79.7 percent of the island's power mix, while renewable energy accounts for just 11.9 percent.