Fri, Aug 15, 2025 page8

• EDITORIAL: Nuclear needs experts, not voters

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  Taiwan is to hold a referendum on Saturday next week to decide whether the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, which was shut down in May after 40 years of service, should restart operations for as long as another 20 years.

  The referendum was proposed by the opposition Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and passed in the legislature with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Its question reads: “Do you agree that the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns?”

  Supporters of the proposal argue that nuclear power offers low carbon emissions and stable electricity generation, unlike weather-dependent solar and wind power. They also underline that Taiwan’s reliance on imported natural gas and coal could be a major risk in case of a blockade by China.

  Facing rising electricity demand, the TPP’s proposal also pointed out that the EU has included nuclear power in its sustainability strategy and Japan has restarted several reactors that were shut down after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster.

  Nevertheless, opponents cite the World Nuclear Industry Status Report to highlight a global trend that more nuclear power reactors are being retired than brought online. Statistics from the International Atomic Energy Agency also showed that as of the middle of last year, 408 reactors were operating in the world, 30 fewer than the 2002 nuclear power peak.

  Facing the international urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, electricity from renewable sources has surpassed that of nuclear sources, whose global share of commercial gross electricity generation has dropped to 9.1 percent from 17.5 percent in 1996.

  Supporters say that electricity from nuclear sources costs only NT$1.8 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), cheaper than wind and solar’s NT$6.5kWh and NT$4.8kWh. However, opponents contend that if the costs of nuclear waste management and plant decommissioning are included, the cost of nuclear power could be up to about NT$6.8kWh, according to the Levelized Cost of Energy report by investment bank Lazard.

  Extending the life of a 40-year-old nuclear power plant requires significantly more safety consideration than building a new one.

  The location of the Ma-anshan plant near a tectonic fault line — a high earthquake risk area — has triggered safety concerns, adding to incidents that happened during its operation, such as a hydrogen room explosion that led to a one-year shutdown in 1985.

  In the case of Japan’s Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant’s reactors that was shut during Fukushima disaster, due to the K fault beneath the plant, the Japanese authority took ten years to do safety review and denied to restart the reactor.

  Taiwan’s No.1 nuclear power plant in New Taipei city also had once applied for a 20-year extension in 2009, but was denied by the KMT ruling government.

  The US’ Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant could also be a lesson. Although the plant passed its five-year extension review, it dropped the plan due to costs soaring from US$5.2 billion in 2023 to US$11.8 billion by May last year. Taiwan Power Co in 2014 estimated an extension for the Ma-anshan plant would cost NT$20 billion just to inspect and improve reactor safety.

  Nuclear fuel must be imported, just as gas and coal are. Nuclear power plants are dangerous targets during military conflicts; Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in 2022 triggered international alarm.

  Another fundamental problem is that Taiwan has long struggled with the disposal of radioactive nuclear waste, which surly would worsen if the plant returns to operation.While pro-nuclear activists have argued that foreign countries could help to address the waste problem, it should be noted currently there’s no legitimate long-term high-level radioactive nuclear waste site to deal with it.

  The referendum question contains the caveat that the plant would only resume operations on “confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” The opposition parties are aiming to grasp the political gain of providing more electricity, but have offloaded the risk of safely reactivating aged reactors and managing radioactive waste to the government.

  Nuclear power plant operations should be a scientific issue, not subject to a political vote. If the electorate chooses to reopen the Ma-anshan plant, tougher challenges for Taiwan would inevitably follow.
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