Taiwan’s Nuclear Time Bomb | Why the Island’s Greatest Energy Crisis Isn’t the Reactor — It’s the Waste
In Taiwan, the political debate over nuclear energy has long followed a familiar script. Supporters argue that nuclear power is essential for energy security and decarbonization. Opponents cite safety risks, environmental justice, and a preference for renewable alternatives. But beneath the surface of this polarized discourse lies a problem that transcends ideology and persists across administrations: radioactive waste. While Taiwan has made ambitious pledges to transition toward renewable energy and move beyond nuclear power, it has not resolved what to do with the nuclear legacy it already carries. And unless it does, the country’s energy policy will remain incomplete and internally contradictory — a house built on radioactive sand. A Problem Older Than the Debate Nowhere is Taiwan’s nuclear waste dilemma more visible — and more politically fraught — than on Lanyu (Orchid Island), home to the Indigenous Tao people. Since the early 1980s, the island has hosted roughly 1...