Taiwan is on the verge of restarting a shut-down nuclear reactor, a reversal that hands the opposition KMT a political win and puts the ruling DPP on the defensive.

• Taipower's plan to restart the Maanshan nuclear plant has cleared five months of review and a decision is expected within days.
• The KMT says the government's "nuclear-free homeland" promise has collapsed and wants President Lai Ching-te to apologize.
• The DPP fired back that senior KMT figures, including Eric Chu and New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-ih, once campaigned against nuclear power themselves.
• The KMT is launching a hundred-stop tour ahead of a year-end referendum to scrap the nuclear-free policy, pitching power supply as national security and fuel for AI.
• The DPP is holding its line on safety, waste disposal, and public consensus while promising enough electricity to go around.

Outlook: The regulator's ruling is due shortly, and either way the fight moves straight into the year-end nuclear referendum campaign.