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TALAYINSIGHT
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MediumI Geo-Economics & Chokepoints24 September 2026, Thursday

Taiwan's Nuclear Safety Commission approves the plan to restart the 2 x 936 MWe Maanshan plant, shut in May 2025; earliest target is 2028

On 24 September Taiwan's Nuclear Safety Commission completed reviewing Taipower's March 2026 'restart operation plan' for the Maanshan nuclear plant. Per CNA, 3 review rounds produced 589 comments; this is not final approval, and Taipower will file a second implementation report after safety inspections. The Economy Minister says the plant could come online in 2028 at the earliest.

Location: MAANSHAN

According to a report published by the Central News Agency (CNA) at 19:10 (Taiwan time) on 24 September, the commission issued 589 comments over 3 review rounds, Taipower responded to all of them, and the commission concluded that the company had appropriately planned the work needed to return the units to an operable condition. Taipower will now carry out self-inspections covering an ageing assessment, radiation checks and a seismic safety assessment, and submit the resulting report for further review. A Taipei Times report on 26 September stresses that the approval covers only the 'initial proposal'; the plant in Hengchun township, Pingtung, shut down in May 2025 when its 40-year licence expired.

According to Nuclear Engineering International, the plant has 2 pressurised water reactors of 936 MWe each, and the internal inspections are expected to take 1.5–2 years. According to a Bloomberg report published in BusinessMirror, Economy Minister Kung Ming-hsin said the plant could operate in 2028 at the earliest; the decision is seen as a reversal of the ruling party's decade-long anti-nuclear stance and is justified by LNG supply and price disruptions originating in the Middle East and by chipmakers' demand for stable, low-carbon electricity. In the August 2025 referendum, around 75% of voters backed the restart, but the turnout threshold was not met.

According to a Newtalk report published at 13:22 on 25 September, the National Anti-Nuclear Action Platform said that announcing the decision before the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday could be seen as an attempt to evade public scrutiny; more than 30 environmental groups were reported to be preparing a joint statement for after the holiday. The total cost of the restart was not disclosed in the sources and could not be verified.

Talay assessment

Bottom line

The 24 September decision is the first regulatory step in a de facto reversal of Taiwan's anti-nuclear energy policy of the past decade; however, the 2 x 936 MWe of capacity will not return to the grid before 2028 at the earliest. In the near term the island will remain dependent on LNG, whose price has risen with the Hormuz disruption; the decision chiefly signals assurance of electricity after 2028 to semiconductor investors and opens a new line of debate in domestic politics.

Likely effects

  • Energy securityPositive1–6 months

    The return of 1,872 MWe of baseload capacity from 2028 could reduce Taiwan's vulnerability to Middle East-driven LNG disruptions over the medium term.

  • Semiconductor supplyPositive6 months+

    Chipmakers' demand for stable electricity is among the reasons for the decision; the 2028 target gives assurance for capacity planning at a time when Taiwan's export orders hit a record 102.96 billion dollars in August.

  • Domestic politicsNegative1–6 months

    More than 30 environmental groups preparing a joint statement and the referendum's failure to meet the turnout threshold suggest the second-stage review report could be delayed by political objections.

Possibilities, ranked

  1. 1
    Progress on schedule55%

    Taipower completes the 1.5–2-year inspections, the implementation report is approved in 2027–2028, and the first unit comes online in 2028.

    Watch: The date Taipower submits its self-inspection results report to the commission

  2. 2
    Delay35%

    The ageing and seismic assessments require additional equipment replacement, and the restart slips to 2029 or later.

    Watch: Announcement of a need for additional parts procurement or new seismic studies

  3. 3
    Political halt10%

    Objections from environmental groups and legislative debate suspend the process.

    Watch: New legislation or litigation on the nuclear restart in the Legislative Yuan

Probabilities are calibrated judgement based on the sources, not measurement, and are revised as new information arrives. Not investment advice.

Market reaction

Indicators affected

  • Maanshan capacity▲ 2 x 936 MWe
  • Earliest return to service▲ 2028
  • Commission review comments▲ 589

Sources

  1. CNA — Nuclear Safety Commission approves Maanshan restart operation plan
  2. Taipei Times — Nuclear plant restart review advances
  3. BusinessMirror (Bloomberg) — Taiwan backs early plan to restart nuclear power in policy shift
  4. Nuclear Engineering International — Restart plans for Maanshan
  5. Newtalk — Commission approves Maanshan plan before holiday, anti-nuclear groups object