Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Sunday that reviewing a possible restart of nuclear power plants is compatible with the island’s continued push for renewable energy, defending a policy shift that has drawn criticism from supporters and opposition alike.
Speaking to reporters, Lai said the government would continue to expand green energy sources – including wind, solar, small hydropower and hydrogen – alongside any assessment of nuclear restarts.
“The two approaches can move forward together without any contradiction or conflict,” he said.
The comments mark a departure from the long-standing anti-nuclear stance of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has championed a “non-nuclear homeland” policy for decades.
Lai said that goal had already been achieved after the second reactor at Nuclear Power Plant No. 3 was shut down in May 2025, but added that Taiwan’s energy strategy now required reassessment.
He cited rising electricity demand driven by economic growth and artificial intelligence development, as well as low-carbon requirements and geopolitical shifts, as factors necessitating a stable and resilient power supply.
Official data show natural gas accounted for 47.8 per cent of electricity generation in 2025, followed by coal at 35.4 per cent and renewables at 13.1 per cent, while nuclear power made up just 1.1 per cent after the island’s last reactor shut down in May.
Coal-fired and renewable power generation both reached record highs last year, with coal plants producing 102.2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) and renewable sources 37.8 billion kWh. However, renewable energy remains well below the government’s transition targets.
Taiwan had aimed for a “50-30-20” power mix by 2025 – 50 per cent natural gas, 30 per cent coal and 20 per cent renewables – but progress has lagged. The target for renewables has already been pushed back to November 2026 and may still not be met.
Installed capacity has also fallen short, with solar reaching 15.5 gigawatts (GW) against a 20 GW target and offshore wind at 3.6 GW compared with a goal of 5.7 GW.
Under recent amendments passed by the opposition-controlled legislature, nuclear plant operators can apply for 20-year licence extensions. Lai said state-run Taiwan Power Co. was preparing to submit restart plans for the No. 2 and No. 3 nuclear power plants to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of March.
Any restart would depend on meeting conditions including nuclear safety, waste management solutions and public consensus, he said.
The potential policy shift has sparked backlash from political debate across party lines.
The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) said Lai’s position aligned with its long-standing support for nuclear energy but accused the government of inconsistency, calling on Lai to admit past policy errors.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang said pursuing nuclear restarts was “correct and necessary,” but urged Lai to apologise for previous anti-nuclear positions.
Taiwan phased out nuclear power under former President Tsai Ing-wen, who had enshrined the “non-nuclear homeland” goal into law after taking office in 2016, continuing a policy first advanced under former President Chen Shui-bian in the early 2000s.
