TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's plan to become a "nuclear-free homeland" by 2025 could result in nationwide power outages, according to experts.
As reactor 2 of the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant is set to shut down on March 14, the sudden loss of generated energy could lead to blackouts in the country.
The reactor's closure will result in a loss of approximately 1 million kilowatts of energy storage capacity.
Coupled with the annual maintenance of another nuclear reactor at the Datan Power Plant, Taiwan must make up for the production of around 1.6 million kilowatts of energy.
"One potential solution is implementing demand response measures, which may require heavy industrial users to reduce their power consumption during peak hours," said Yeh Tsung-kuang, a professor at the National Tsing Hua University's Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center.
"Another option is to increase the procurement of cogeneration power; however, we are concerned that these measures may result in rotating power outages affecting different districts."
As Taiwan moves away from nuclear power, other parts of the world embrace it to boost energy production.
In the UK, for example, plans are in place to build eight nuclear reactors by 2030 to combat rising prices exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Despite this, some experts argue that nuclear is still the way to go in Taiwan due to space limitations.
"Taiwan is a small island," Maulik Patel said. The professor at the University of Liverpool pointed out, "For nuclear, you need only 2 square miles of area to get the same energy; hence, I think it will be difficult to replace."
Doctoral students and professors from England have even joined Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University program to research while working at the school's open pool reactor.
In the absence of nuclear power, Taiwan has become more reliant on the import of fossil fuels, the costs of which are continuously rising.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has assured the public that the completion of unit 8 at the Datan Power Plant in April will result in a surplus of 1.1 million kilowatts of energy.
However, experts warn of potential power outages and energy rationing in the coming months.
As Taiwan grapples with the challenges of transitioning to a nuclear-free homeland, it remains to be seen how the country will address the issue of energy security in the long term.
