TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kaohsiung City voters turned out in unexpectedly high numbers Saturday (Aug. 23) for a referendum on restarting Taiwan's No. 3 nuclear power plant, with elderly residents leading the early morning voting surge at polling stations across the southern port city. The ballot measure represents a critical test of public opinion on Taiwan's energy future amid ongoing debates over nuclear power's role in the island's electricity supply and energy independence strategy.
The referendum took an ironic turn when a brief power outage struck several Kaohsiung polling stations at 12:26 p.m., startling voters debating the future of nuclear energy. The sudden blackout created a stir among residents casting ballots on whether to restart atomic power generation. Electricity resumed quickly, ensuring the democratic process continued without disruption despite the symbolic timing of the outage.
Taiwan Power Company's (台電) Kaohsiung District Office confirmed the 19-second outage resulted from equipment failure in the Gangshan (岡山) district, affecting electricity supply along Jieshou Road (介壽路) and Dagong Road (大公路). Utility crews immediately responded to inspect the malfunctioning equipment while power restoration proceeded swiftly. The brief disruption highlighted infrastructure vulnerabilities as citizens voted on expanding Taiwan's nuclear capacity to ensure reliable electricity generation.
Witnesses described electric fans grinding to a halt during the outage, with one voter initially assuming someone had accidentally switched off the power supply. Polling station staff quickly reassured concerned citizens that the brief flickering of lights posed no threat to ballot integrity. The momentary disruption served as an unintended reminder of electricity's importance as voters weighed Taiwan's energy options, including nuclear power's role in preventing future blackouts.
