The KMT has again called for extending the lifespan of Taiwan’s existing nuclear reactors, citing a poll conducted by the party that found that 73.6% of the public supports such an extension, while this was only opposed by 20.7% of the public...
The Lai administration has continued to be strategically ambiguous regarding nuclear energy. In comments to Bloomberg late last month, Premier Cho Jung-tai expressed a willingness to use nuclear energy to meet energy demands for AI. It is expected that Taiwan may play a key role in the growing AI sector, particularly regarding the use of chips, seeing as Taiwan already plays a preeminent role in global semiconductor manufacturing. Cho stated that as long as there was social consensus on nuclear energy, particularly regarding the disposal of nuclear waste, that it was fine to proceed...
President Lai Ching-te indicated an openness to nuclear energy in an unusual set of remarks earlier this month. Lai stated that his administration did not rule out the use of advanced nuclear technology, but that this would only proceed on the basis of social consensus...
The Lai administration will soon lift remaining restrictions on food imports from Fukushima disaster-affected Japanese prefectures. This includes Fukushima itself, as well as the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, and Tochigi...
Civil society groups demonstrated in front of the Legislative Yuan this afternoon, in spite of periodic bouts of rain, as a protest against nuclear energy...
A hike in electricity prices that started on Monday will likely lead to another round of political contestation between the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps. In particular, the pan-Blue camp will probably try to redirect public anger regarding the price hikes to push for nuclear energy, in line with its energy platform...
The KMT unveiled its energy policy in August. In particular, the plan calls for lowering the percentage of energy from natural gas-fired power plants to 45% by 2030. Hou You-yi, the KMT’s presidential candidate, claims that coal-fired power plants will be phased out by 2040, when 34% of energy will be produced by gas-fired plants. By 2050, renewable energy will be 57% of Taiwan’s energy according to this plant...
KMT presidential candidate Hou You-yi has begun to lean into advocacy of nuclear power in the course of campaigning at a time of flagging ratings. Hou currently polls worse than former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, who is the presidential candidate of the TPP and KMT chair Eric Chu has had to fend off rumors that the KMT is considering replacing Hou as its candidate. Hou is calling for restarts of nuclear plants in Shihmen and Guosheng, the highly controversial No. 4 nuclear reactor, and extending the lifespan of the Ma-anshan plant...
Although it is not likely to become the key issue to be voted on, seeing as presidential elections traditionally revolve around the issue of cross-strait relations, the issue of nuclear energy will be an important substrate of the Taiwanese presidential elections. It proves unsurprising, then, that the issue of nuclear energy has again come up as a contentious issue–as it has long been in Taiwan, given Taiwan’s nature as an island country...
