TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The legislature passed a Taiwan People’s Party-backed referendum proposal to restart the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County on Monday.

The facility had ended its 40-year operating license and disconnected from the power grid on Saturday, ushering in the DPP’s long-stated goal of a non-nuclear homeland, per CNA.

However, opposition parties have different plans for this aging nuclear facility, first passing an amendment to extend its operating license and, most recently, a public referendum to allow the public to decide the facility's fate. The referendum proposal passed in a 58-49 vote.

DPP Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸), who represents the district where the nuclear plant is located, criticized the referendum as being unfair to his constituency, as it did not include restarting Taiwan’s two other nuclear power plants, which have been decommissioned. Others questioned the safety of restarting an aging facility that may not meet current operating standards and nuclear waste regulations.

The referendum originally put forward by the TPP reads, "Do you agree that the third nuclear power plant [referring to the Maanshan plant] should continue operation upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns?"

DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) criticized passage of the referendum proposal as coming less than three days after the nation had finally achieved the goal of a nuclear-free homeland. She said opposition parties were playing politics, risking the health and safety of the nation.

TPP Legislator Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) said the referendum proposal was based on three core principles: respecting professional assessments, ensuring energy stability, and democratic participation. She said the referendum does not advocate the immediate restart of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant, but rather, allows for a safety assessment and allows the public to weigh in on extending the service life of the nuclear power plant.

TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that all energy policies have pros and cons. He added that Taiwan's future energy policy should be decided through discussions among all Taiwanese.

According to the Referendum Act, if the legislature deems it necessary to hold a referendum and the main text and the statement are passed in a legislative session, the referendum proposal is then sent to the Central Election Commission for implementation within 10 days.

Later, the CEC is then bound to publish notice of the referendum vote a minimum of 90 days before the referendum. National referendums require a turnout of at least 50% of qualified voters to be valid, with the referendum on track to take place Aug. 23.