Taiwan will hold a national referendum on restarting a nuclear reactor that it shut down just last week, potentially opening up a pathway to reverse the government’s anti-nuclear policy.
The Aug. 23 poll will decide whether the Maanshan nuclear power plant, the territory’s last one to be shuttered, should resume operations if there are no safety concerns, according to a statement from Taiwan’s Central Election Commission late on Friday.
The vote is championed by pro-nuclear opposition parties that have pushed back against the ruling party’s pledge to phase out atomic power by this year. A similar referendum in 2021 narrowly cemented the closure of a separate nuclear plant, but concerns on the island are rising about power demand from some of the world’s biggest chipmakers and about energy security in the event of a military blockade by China.
Lawmakers revised a nuclear power bill earlier this month allowing atomic plants, which could previously only operate for 40 years, to extend or renew their licenses for up to 20 years at a time.
Still, any restarts will take time. Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai has said it would take 3½ years to review safety before nuclear plants can be revived, citing state-owned Taiwan Power Co.’s estimate.
