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 3? years to review safety before nuclear plants can be revived, citing state-owned Taiwan Power Co.¡¯s estimate.
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