Premier rules out extending life of Taiwan's last operational nuclear plant

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers on Friday that his Cabinet "has no plans" to amend regulations that would have paved the way for the continued operation of Taiwan's only operational nuclear power plant.

"The Executive Yuan has no plans to amend the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act," Cho told lawmaker Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) of the opposition Kuomintang on the legislative floor.

His comments meant that there would be no legal basis for the continued operation of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant, also known as the Third Nuclear Power Plant, in Pingtung County.

Maanshan is the only operating nuclear power plant in Taiwan, but it will enter the decommissioning stage after the operating licenses of its two reactors expire in July 2024 and May 2025, respectively.

The premier said the government was focused on "how to make up for the energy lost" from the Third Nuclear Power Plant once it stops operating while expressing confidence about filling that gap through "developing diverse green energy sources."

The latest data from the Energy Administration indicated that nuclear power represented 6.3 percent of Taiwan's energy mix in 2023, while fossil fuels accounted for 83.1 percent and renewables for 9.5 percent.

According to the act and related regulations, the operating license of each reactor is 40 years and any renewal applications must be filed with the Nuclear Safety Commission at least five years before the license expires.

Due to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's policy of phasing out nuclear power in Taiwan, the former administration led by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) did not apply for license renewal for any nuclear power plants.

As a result, both the Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant (First Nuclear Power Plant) and the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant (Second Nuclear Power Plant) in New Taipei entered into a decommissioning period in July 2019 and March 2023, respectively, when the operating licenses of their reactors expired.

Speaking at the Legislature on Friday, Cho reaffirmed the current government's commitment to continuing Tsai's policy of eliminating nuclear energy while denying that Economics Minister J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) had held a different stance on the matter.

Kuo's Ministry of Economics Affairs oversees the state-run Taiwan Power Co., which is in charge of all the nuclear power plants in Taiwan.

On Wednesday, Kuo floated the idea of relaxing relevant regulations so the operation of the third nuclear power plant could be extended and the second one brought back, given the country's rising electricity demand.

However, on Friday, Kuo appeared to walk back on his previous comments, telling reporters at the Legislature that the government's "position on [pushing for a nuclear-free homeland] remains unchanged."