Taiwan could become the first East Asian country to abandon nuclear power in May 2025, confirming the commitment made after Fukushima. But tensions with Beijing have raised concerns about supplies. The opposition is pushing for a rethink of the issue. Meanwhile, the People’s Republic of China has begun work on two new reactors, bringing the total to 26 under construction.
Taipei (/Agencies) – Taiwan on Saturday permanently shut down reactor No. 1 of the Ma-anshan nuclear power plant, the only one still active, with the aim of becoming the first non-nuclear country in East Asia in May 2025, when the licence for the other reactor expires. The facility, located in Pingtung County, was shut down at a time when political forces in Taipei remain divided over the opportunity to extend the life of the country’s atomic power plants.
The Ma-anshan No. 1 reactor had been in operation since July 27, 1984, and was therefore due to be shut down after 40 years. Until now, nuclear power had covered 5% of the country’s energy needs. Since yesterday, this proportion has fallen to 2.8%. The Taipei government announced that the missing part will be made up by increased production from a liquefied natural gas plant, although critics say this will increase production costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
The 2011 accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant has heightened opposition to the use of nuclear energy in Taiwan. But today the debate on nuclear energy in Taiwan is also fuelled by fears that the People’s Republic of China could limit energy supplies to the island with a military blockade.
When the Democratic Progressive Party took office in 2016, then-President Tsai Ing-wen stated that she aimed to make Taiwan nuclear-free by 2025, setting an energy mix of 50% natural gas, 30% coal and 20% renewable sources. The current government has not ruled out increasing the share of nuclear power, but argues that the technology must first be improved. Opposition parties, by contrast, have long supported restarting nuclear reactors.
Taipei’s parliament debated for hours in recent weeks whether to reverse the government’s plan to phase out nuclear power altogether, but failed to come to a vote.
Taiwan expects renewables to account for a quarter of its energy mix by 2030, up from around 12% this year. However, electricity consumption is expected to grow by an average of 2.8% annually until 2033, driven by the artificial intelligence sector.
Meanwhile, the People’s Republic of China is still stepping on the gas pedal of its nuclear power plants. Just as Taiwan shut down its reactor, construction work began on two new plants in Ningde, in the eastern Chinese province of Fujian, and in Huaneng, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, where the first fourth-generation nuclear power plant came online in December last year. According to data from the China Nuclear Energy Association, China has 55 operating nuclear power plants and 26 under construction (the highest number in the world).
Add Comment