Nuclear power in Taiwan

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Nuclear power plants in Taiwan (view)
 Active plants
 Closed plants
 Unfinished plants

Nuclear power in Taiwan accounts for 2,945 MWe of capacity by means of 1 active plant and 2 reactors. In 2015, before the closure of 3 reactors, they made up around 8.1% of its national primary energy consumption, and 19% of its electricity generation.[1][2] The technology chosen for the reactors has been General Electric BWR technology for 2 plants and Westinghouse PWR technology for the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant. Construction of the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant using the ABWR design has encountered public opposition and a host of delays, and in April 2014 the government decided to suspend construction.[3]

Active seismic faults run across the island, and anti-nuclear environmentalists argue Taiwan is unsuited for nuclear plants.[4] A 2011 report by the environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, evaluated the seismic hazard to reactors worldwide, as determined by the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program data, placed all of Taiwan's reactors within the highest risk group of 12 reactors within very high seismic hazard areas, along with some of Japan's reactors.[5]

The 2016 election was won by a government with stated policies that included phasing out nuclear power generation.[6] A referendum in 2018 voted to retain nuclear power;[7] however, in January 2019 the government stated that there would be no life-extensions for existing plants or restarts to building nuclear power plants.[8] Another referendum in late 2021, proposing to restart the construction of the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant, was rejected. The result is aligned with the current policy of the government.

  1. ^ http://www.taipower.com.tw/e_content/content/report/..%5C..%5C..%5CUpFile%5CCompanyENFile%5C2015_en.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ Don Shapiro (1 March 2013). "Taiwan Economy: Near-term Uptick, Longer-term Challenges". The Brookings Institution. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference reuters-20140428 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Andrew Jacobs (12 January 2012). "Vote Holds Fate of Nuclear Power in Taiwan". New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  5. ^ Thomas B. Cochran, Matthew G. McKinzie (19 August 2011). "Global Implications of the Fukushima Disaster for Nuclear Power" (PDF). Natural Resources Defense Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-26. Retrieved 24 February 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference asahi-20161031 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference wnn-20181126 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference wnn-20190201 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).