Taiwan is on the verge of restarting its last nuclear reactor, a win for the opposition KMT and for power-hungry chipmakers, and an embarrassment for President Lai's anti-nuclear pledge.

• Regulators have finished the technical review of Taipower's bid to restart the Maanshan plant, with only paperwork left.
• The KMT wants Lai to apologize, saying his "nuclear-free homeland" promise failed and hurt Taiwan's competitiveness.
• Booming AI and chip factories need far more electricity, which has pushed even the ruling DPP to soften its stance.
• The DPP says nothing is settled: a referendum on scrapping the nuclear-free policy comes with this year's local elections.
• Nuclear waste disposal and further safety approvals still stand in the way, and the reactor has been offline since May 2025.

Outlook: The referendum this year will decide how fast Taiwan brings nuclear power back, with restart still months away at best.