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In order to solve the power shortage issue of Taiwan, Premier William Lai announced three major policy directions on November 8: nuclear-free home, stabilizing power supply, and improving air pollution.
As to three major execution strategies, they include diversified power sources, active power saving, and flexibly adjusting power plant schedules. Lai hopes that by 2019, reserve margin can be maintained above 15%, and operating reserve can be more than 10%, so as to stably and safely generate power.
Because during the year 2017 and 2018, power generation has been tighter, Taiwan enters a transition period of switching between power supply modes. Will the Taiwan government restart the nuclear power plants? Lai replied, re-operating the nuclear power plants will be a last resort.
Since Premier Lai took up the official post, he has actively paid attention to the five insufficient supplies to the industry: lack of water, power, land, talents, and labors. During the week from November 6 to November 10, Premier held a press conference every day, and explained solutions of the five categories of undersupply.
Lai pointed out, domestic power demand continued growing because of economic development and for general household use. In addition, on the supply end, because of environmental issues and power generation units were decommissioned, power supply has tightened than that of the past. According to statistics (not including the first nuclear power plant's two units and the unit 2 of second nuclear power plant), the reserve margin of year 2017 is estimated to be at only 7.5%, lower than reasonably planned reserve margin 15%. The daily operating reserve that is lower than 6% amounted to 102 days. This figure is more than 80 days in 2016 and above 33 days in 2015.
In order to solve the power shortage, Lai proposed that nuclear equipment will stop operating and will be decommissioned by the year 2025. Moreover, by adjusting the thermal power generation plant's schedule for protecting the environment, the regional air quality will be improved.
Whether or not the nuclear power plants will be reactivated has been heated debated. Lai has stressed twice during the press conference that he currently does not consider nuclear power generation. However, at the end of press conference, he pointed out, during 2017 and 2018, when power shortage is tight and it is a transition time of switching between different power source supply modes, the government will stabilize the power supply with all-out effort. Restart the power plants will be a last resort.