Taiwan’s Voting on Revival of Defunct Nuclear Facility Fails to Pass | Taiwan News

A referendum seeking to reopen Taiwan’s last nuclear plant fell short of the legal threshold required for validation, despite the president suggesting that the island could revisit nuclear technology if safety standards were to improve. The referendum, supported by the opposition, proposed reopening the Maanshan power plant provided there were confirmed no safety issues. Initially closed in May in favor of renewable energy and liquefied natural gas, the plant’s fate now remains sealed due to the threshold not being met. The small Taiwan People’s party, with the Kuomintang’s support, initially backed the referendum, arguing for the necessity of reliable power supplies and reduced reliance on imports. While about 4.3 million votes favored the plant’s reopening, surpassing the 1.5 million votes against, the motion fell short of the required one quarter of all registered electors, amounting to about 5 million people, thus ensuring the plant’s closure. The decision is underpinned by significant safety concerns regarding nuclear power generation in earthquake-prone Taiwan and the challenge of handling nuclear waste, concerns echoed by the government. President Lai Ching-te acknowledged the societal push for diverse energy options, leaving the door open to nuclear energy’s reconsideration should future technological and societal advancements justify it. In a concurrent vote, efforts to recall seven Kuomintang legislators also faced failure, mirroring the outcome of a broader recall attempt against 24 legislators from the same party that failed the previous month. Civic groups, with the Democratic Progressive party’s backing, initiated these recall campaigns, accusing the targeted legislators of leaning too close to China and hindering government processes, allegations staunchly denied by the legislators themselves.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/24/taiwan-referendum-on-reopening-last-nuclear-plant-fails