Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday that two nuclear power plants “meet the conditions for reactivation” as the energy-import-dependent island moves to bolster its domestic power generation capacity.
Taiwan relies almost entirely on imported fossil fuels to meet its energy needs, particularly in its critical semiconductor sector, and conflict in the Middle East has destabilized global supply lines.
Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party has long called for a “nuclear-free homeland,” fueled in part by concerns about nuclear safety after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Nuclear power provided a significant portion of the island’s electricity supply for about four decades before the last reactor was shut down.
Opposition parties say continuous supply is necessary for energy security.
Taiwan shut down its last operating reactor at Ma’anshan, commonly known as the third nuclear power plant, in southern Pingtung County in May last year, in line with the ruling party’s policy to phase out nuclear power by 2025.
Another, known as the second nuclear power plant, was decommissioned in 2023 after its operating license expired.
Lai said at a business event on Saturday that “the second and third nuclear plants meet the conditions for restart”, without specifying what the requirements are.
He said state utility Taipower, which operated the plants, would submit restart applications to the Nuclear Safety Council by the end of the month for review.
The council will consider safety issues and whether there is public consensus on restarting the plants during the review, he added.
Deputy Economy Minister Ho Chin-tsang told a parliamentary session on Friday that the Ma’anshan plant could restart as early as 2028, although he did not give a timeline for the second plant.
“The international community needs low-carbon electricity, and we must also consider the electricity needed for computing power in the age of artificial intelligence,” Lai said.
He assured the public that Taiwan’s oil and natural gas supplies are sufficient for March and April.
“May is also almost smooth, just a bit. In June… additional oil and gas purchased from the US will come to Taiwan.”
Taiwan’s legal requirements mandate 90 days of oil reserves and 11 days of natural gas reserves.
Lai said the island currently holds more than 100 days of oil and 12 to 14 days of gas.
