Taiwan's year-end elections will be held alongside a nuclear power referendum, and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih has voiced conditional support for restarting nuclear plants — a positive signal for the nuclear industry and for businesses facing power shortages.

• Hou said he has never been anti-nuclear and supports restarting the Kuosheng plant as long as nuclear safety can be maintained.
• But he demanded that the central government spell out how nuclear waste will be handled, saying it cannot be piled up in New Taipei forever.
• The November 28 election will also include a referendum on "abolishing the nuclear-free homeland" policy, which will determine the fate of New Taipei's nuclear sites.
• Hou implied that the central government, originally anti-nuclear, is now also adjusting its energy policy and should not speak too rigidly.
• Industry concerns that electricity supply will fall short of demand have become the main source of pressure driving the push for a restart.

Outlook: Nuclear power will be a focal point of the year-end election campaign, and whether a clear plan for handling nuclear waste can be presented is the biggest hurdle to a restart.