Taiwan's last working reactor at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant is set to be officially decommissioned on Saturday. But it's not the end for anti-nuclear campaigners, who have returned to the streets as opposition lawmakers seek amendments that could bring nuclear power back in the future.
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00:00This was meant to be a time of celebration and the end of a decades-long battle for Taiwan's
00:14anti-nuclear movement. But now, with the closure of the country's last nuclear reactor fast
00:20approaching, protesters are back on the streets as opposition lawmakers try to push through
00:26amendments that could see it restarted, saying that without nuclear power, air pollution will get
00:32worse and electricity prices will soar. The issue of nuclear power has long evoked intense emotions
00:54from both camps, inside and outside the legislature. While the ruling Democratic Progressive Party
01:01is currently set to achieve its goal of making Taiwan a nuclear-free homeland by 2025,
01:08pressing questions remain on just how the country will meet the energy needs of its booming chip and
01:14AI industries, while simultaneously hitting its net-zero targets.
01:19This government will not be able to achieve the net-zero carbon emission goal in the year of
01:282050. You have to be practical. I mean, without nuclear, it's not possible.
01:36Taiwan's nuclear phase-out runs counter to nuclear trends seen among its neighbors. China currently
01:42accounts for nearly half of the world's nuclear power under construction. And following a major
01:48post-Fukushima shift in policy, Japan hopes to increase its nuclear power generation from 8.5%
01:55of its grid supply in 2023 to 20% by 2040. While South Korea hopes to increase the proportion from 30.7%
02:04in 2023 to 35.2% in 2038. But Taiwan's government aims to make up for the shortfall through renewable energy.
02:13The ruling party has so far increased proportions of renewables and natural gas to make up for the
02:40three to 4% that nuclear power generated in 2024 and the first quarter of this year.
02:47But critics say it might not be enough. The administration's 20% renewable energy target by 2025
02:53was already delayed a year back in 2022 after lagging targets. And for Taiwan, it's not just a
03:00question of meeting climate targets and industry demands. There's another factor that its neighbors
03:05have to consider, a potential military blockade by China.
03:09But the DPP isn't ruling out nuclear power forever. Experts say new nuclear technology like small modular reactors currently in development
03:28nuclear technology like small modular reactors currently in development could be available by
03:342030. And Taiwan's premier, Zhu Rongtai, said he's open to this new tech if it had the consensus
03:41of the people. Regardless, critics urge caution. I think there is a massive amount of kind of
03:49mania and hype around this particular promise of nuclear. It is what I call magical thinking.
03:58That somehow this technology can proliferate at a level that could make a difference.
04:11A skepticism shared by these protesters in Taipei, who remain determined to keep fighting until the
04:18sole remaining nuclear power plant in the country is permanently shut. That power plant is set to be
04:25decommissioned this week, but there is no assurance it will remain offline. Opposition lawmakers could
04:31make a decision that would see it reopened, leaving groups like these demonstrating for years to come.
04:37Ryan Wu and Izzy Wells for Taiwan Plus.