Lai Ching-te Green-Lights: Taipower Units 2 and 3 "Meet Conditions to Restart," Taiwan's Power Deficit Can't Hold Up in AI Era

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te announced on March 21 during the Pan-Shi Society event that after cautious evaluation by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the No. 2 and No. 3 nuclear power plants meet the conditions for restart. Taiwan Power Company has initiated the relevant procedures, and the restart plan is expected to be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission for review by the end of March. This marks the most explicit policy shift in the Democratic Progressive Party’s “Non-Nuclear Homeland” stance in decades, primarily driven by the massive electricity demand in the AI era.
(Background: Revealing Jensen Huang’s inner thoughts: Why can AI only embrace nuclear energy? The four key points 99% of people don’t understand)
(Additional context: AI consumes too much electricity! U.S. reactivates Duane Arnold nuclear plant: responding to data center development in Iowa)

When Lai Ching-te made this statement at the handover ceremony of the Pan-Shi Society chairmanship, the public had been waiting a long time. He stated that the Ministry of Economic Affairs has completed a cautious assessment, and the No. 2 and No. 3 nuclear plants “meet the conditions for restart.” Taiwan Power will submit the plan to the Nuclear Safety Commission for formal review before the end of March.

Observers note that this policy shift by the DPP is driven by two clear reasons: the global low-carbon trend and the explosive electricity demand of the AI era. TSMC, data centers, and AI computing chips are all located in Taiwan, with each production line urgently needing power.

No. 2 Nuclear Plant partners with GE, No. 3 with Westinghouse; independent safety review will take at least two years

It is understood that the No. 3 plant (Pingtung) has signed a contract with Westinghouse to conduct self-safety inspections; the No. 2 plant (New Taipei) is handled by General Electric (GE). Taiwan Power spokesperson Tsai Chih-meng said the inspection project covers lifespan analysis, aging assessment, restart feasibility, seismic resistance, and other aspects, and is expected to take 1.5 to 2 years to complete.

Lai Ching-te also explained that Taiwan’s power supply will remain stable until 2032, and what is being done now is proactive planning, not emergency measures.

The 2026 policy has already been approved

Looking back at the timeline, the August 2025 referendum on the restart of No. 3 nuclear plant saw 4.34 million votes in favor, but it did not meet the legal approval threshold. Six months later, the Executive Yuan directly advanced the policy, bypassing the referendum, relying instead on the amended Nuclear Regulation Act authorized by the Legislative Yuan, allowing the Nuclear Safety Commission to exercise technical discretion.

This move is a sensitive and recurrent issue in Taiwanese politics, but legally it is valid. Globally, Taiwan’s shift is not unique.

In Iowa, the Duane Arnold nuclear plant announced its restart amid explosive demand from AI data centers. Japan, South Korea, the UK, and France have also strengthened their nuclear policies. AI electricity consumption is a 24/7 base load demand, and nuclear power remains the most stable and lowest-carbon option currently available.

Bitcoin mining farms and AI data centers highly overlap in location selection, both seeking cheap, stable, renewable, or low-carbon power sources. If Taiwan can ensure stable nuclear power supply, it can sustain the long-term needs of its tech industry supply chain.