Taiwan’s Nuclear Power Development’s Past, Present and Future

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan is the first Asian country to move away from nuclear energy after relying on it for over 50 years. Now, a referendum on restarting one of Taiwan’s shut-down reactors has raised questions about whether its result would change how the country powers itself.

Transcript

00:00With a swift countdown, Taiwan's last working nuclear power plant, the Ma Anshan facility in

00:08the far south, goes to sleep. Back in the 80s, the country's three nuclear power plants once

00:14powered half the country, until they were shut down one by one from 2019 to this May.

00:20Now, a referendum is looking to bring the Ma Anshan plant back to life. Some key areas of

00:26discussion over a power supply, nuclear safety and the economy.

00:56当然是电背的部分。以长远来干的话,因为台湾来说还是以科技场的发展为主。那当然在电力方面有极大的需求,无论是民生或者工业。

01:08Nuclear energy has played a vital part in shaping Taiwan's economic landscape. The country started

01:16developing nuclear energy as part of its efforts to secure its role as a major global manufacturer

01:22half a century ago. The then-ruling Kuomintang government built the first nuclear power plant

01:28in 1971 as part of its 10 major construction projects. It's been a divisive issue ever since.

01:37While most people have enjoyed the economic boom facilitated by nuclear power,

01:42many others worry about its safety and about environmental damage caused by nuclear waste.

01:49When Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered mountdowns after a tsunami in 2011,

01:55it thrust a nuclear safety issue into the spotlight. Then President Ma Ying-jeou announced that the

02:01three existing plants serve its life would not be extended beyond the 40-year legal cap,

02:07and construction of the fourth plant would be halted indefinitely. 14 years and a switch in

02:13ruling party later, Taiwan was nuclear-free by mid-2025. However, this move upset some parts of society.

02:22As tensions grow in the Taiwan Strait, pro-nuclear campaigners have focused on energy security

02:28in the event of a Chinese invasion.

02:31The nuclear power plant is only 36 days. The nuclear power plant is only 7-11 days.

02:44The nuclear power plant is only 18 months to 36 months.

02:51While those who want to keep the status quo say, the four-decade-old plant is obsolete,

03:07and committing fully to renewable energy will reduce the threat to the local energy supply.

03:13The nuclear debate extends to the power source's legality. Some say the referendum violates the

03:33basic environmental law, which cements the country's nuclear-free goal.

03:37It's caused confusions among voters as to whether the law or the referendum result

03:53would conflict with one another. But environmental lawyer Zhang Shun-gui says,

03:58while the two seem contradictory, neither of them carries legal weight.

04:02The key lies in the wording of the referendum question.

04:28It reads,

04:29Do you agree that the Ma Anshan nuclear power plant should be back in service

04:34after authorities confirm that it's safe?

04:37Zhang says,

04:38If the result is yes, it would only prompt greater safety checks,

04:43rather than trigger an immediate move to turn the generators back on.

04:46The referendum result is also only legally binding within two years of its passing.

04:51That means all reactivation work needs to be done during that short window, or it becomes invalid.

04:58As the first country in Asia to move away from nuclear energy,

05:20Taiwan now stands at a crossroad with increasingly conflicting factors,

05:24such as regional instability, industrial demand, and a still unresolved issue of nuclear waste.

05:31But the fate of at least one nuclear plant will be decided on Saturday,

05:36when voters cast their ballots.

05:38Devin Tsai and Irene Lin for Taiwan Plus.

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