Taiwan kills provision on nuclear power phase-out by 2025

The amendment was passed after 5.89 million voted in favour on abolishing the stipulation.

Taiwan has abolished a provision of the Electricity Act stipulating that all nuclear generation facilities must stop operations before 2025, a report by Taipei Times revealed.

The amendment was passed in compliance with the result of a 2018 referendum that asked whether the stipulation that “nuclear energy-based power generating facilities should stop running by 2025” be abolished.

The referendum reportedly passed with 5.89 million ‘yes’ votes versus 4.01 million ‘no’ votes.

That said, the National Nuclear Abolition Action platform argued that the result of the referendum does not mean the public is not concerned about nuclear power and the global trend towards renewable energy.

Following the amendment, the Taiwanese government will set plans to work on the final disposition of low-level nuclear waste to deal with the low-level waste stored on Orchid Island.
Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin also noted in January that Taiwan would not extend the service life of nuclear power plants.

Amongst Taiwan’s three active nuclear power plants, the first two are expected to be decommissioned by March 2023, and the third by May 2025. A fourth nuclear power plant’s completion was blocked by opposition in 2014 and later mothballed.

However, nuclear power supporters drafted a proposal in March for a new referendum asking voters if they agree that the fourth nuclear power plant project should move forward. The proposal passed an initial screening and is awaiting verification by household registration offices.