Taiwan's nuclear-free homeland is on hold! On 8/23, a referendum will restart to decide the fate of the nuclear power plant No. 3. How will the semiconductor industry's electricity consumption be resolved?

The nuclear power plant in Hengchun, Pingtung has just been shut down for less than a week, and the government is holding a national referendum on whether to restart it on 8/23. Coincidentally, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang (Jensen Huang) emphasized during an interview on 5/25 that Taiwan must invest in nuclear energy and pointed out that energy should not be stigmatized. As a key player in the global semiconductor industry, Taiwan faces the critical issue of how to plan its future energy strategy in light of tight electricity supplies, surging power consumption in the semiconductor sector, and military threats from China.

8/23 National referendum to decide whether to restart the nuclear power plant No. 3

According to the Central Election Commission's announcement on May 23, a national referendum will be held on August 23, with the theme:

"Do you agree to continue operating the third nuclear power plant after it has been confirmed by the competent authority that there are no safety concerns?"

The Nuclear Power Plant No. 3 officially closed on May 17, and now, less than a week later, it may be reinstated due to a referendum.

Jen-Hsun Huang calls for investment in nuclear energy; energy should not be stigmatized.

The CEO of NVIDIA, Jen-Hsun Huang (, clearly stated at the AI Trends Summit organized by Zhong'an Technology that the biggest challenge for the AI industry in the next decade is the energy issue, and he emphasized further:

"Taiwan must definitely invest in nuclear energy; energy should not be stigmatized."

In yet another interview with TVBS, he emphasized again that the Taiwanese government needs to provide more energy. He pointed out that the semiconductor industry in Taiwan requires a large amount of electricity, which indeed translates into local economic output and GDP. All of this requires "energy" to support the operation of AI infrastructure.

The anti-nuclear stance will shift to pro-nuclear; does Taiwan have the opportunity to restart nuclear power?

It is understood that this referendum is promoted by the opposition party in the Legislative Yuan, which advocates for maintaining nuclear energy as a backup energy source under safety precautions, contradicting the current ruling party's "2025 Non-Nuclear Home" policy.

According to the current situation, if this referendum passes, Taiwan's energy policy may completely change and embrace nuclear power again.

Taiwan once opposed the restart of Nuclear Power Plant No. 4, but now the geopolitical situation has changed.

In 2021, Taiwan also held a referendum on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, which was narrowly rejected. However, with the recent surge in global energy prices and electricity consumption, coupled with the continuous expansion of major foundries like TSMC, society's concern for energy stability has far surpassed the past, and the "safety concerns" regarding nuclear energy have also begun to waver.

It's not just the economic aspect; military risks are also an important consideration. With China continuously conducting military exercises around Taiwan, everyone is increasingly concerned:

"If a war really breaks out, will Taiwan have enough electricity? Can it rely on natural gas and imported energy to hold on?"

These real issues have also caused many who originally opposed nuclear energy to start rethinking the necessity of nuclear power.

This article Taiwan's nuclear-free home is halted! On 8/23, a referendum will be restarted to decide the fate of the nuclear power plant No. 3. How to solve the electricity usage of the semiconductor industry first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.