Taiwan considers reviving nuclear generation to cut LNG imports — OilPrice
Taiwan’s state-owned power company Taipower has submitted a plan to restart the Maanshan nuclear power plant, and the regulator is already reviewing the application. Resuming reactor operations is being considered as a way to reduce Taiwan’s dependence on imported liquefied natural gas, OilPrice reports.
The growing role of gas
Taiwan’s last operating nuclear reactor was shut down in May 2025, completing the policy of gradually phasing out nuclear energy. As coal’s share declined, natural gas gained a larger role in the power system: while it accounted for 30.6% of electricity generation in 2015, it reached 50.5% in July 2026.
Taiwan is fully dependent on LNG imports to meet its natural gas needs. In 2025, LNG deliveries rose by nearly 9% year on year to 23.6 million tonnes. From January through August 2026, the country imported 16.3 million tonnes, 6% more than in the same period of the previous year.
According to OilPrice’s estimate, the Asian JKM spot benchmark nearly tripled over six months, reaching about $29 per million British thermal units. Rising fuel prices increased financial pressure on Taipower: the company reported a pre-tax loss of approximately $810 million for the first half of the year and expected more than $3.8 billion in additional fuel costs in 2026.
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Restart potential
Amendments to the Act on the Regulation of Nuclear Reactor Facilities, adopted in May 2025, allowed reactors with expired licenses to apply for a further 20 years of operation. Taipower filed an application concerning Maanshan in March 2026; the regulator began a substantive review in April and, by July, had moved to the final stage of the assessment.
The two Maanshan reactors have a combined installed capacity of 1.9 GW, while the two reactors at the Kuosheng nuclear power plant account for another 1.97 GW. Bringing back nearly 3.9 GW of nuclear capacity could potentially replace 4–4.5 million tonnes of LNG per year.
According to OilPrice, Maanshan’s second unit could resume operations as early as 2027 and replace around 1 million tonnes of LNG annually. The publication does not expect the other Maanshan reactor to return before 2028. Kuosheng could not be restored before 2031, as spent fuel must be removed and sufficient storage capacity secured before repairs and safety inspections.
At the same time, Taiwan will have to continue purchasing LNG for several years until the reactors return to operation. The publication notes that it is important for the country to maintain flexibility in its gas supply contracts, as the timelines for nuclear restarts may change.
