TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s recently decommissioned Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung could potentially restart and generate electricity as early as 2028, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) told lawmakers Wednesday.

Speaking at the legislature, Kung said a safety inspection of the No. 3 nuclear plant is currently underway. State-run Taipower is expected to submit a plan later this month outlining how the plant could be restarted, per CNA.

Kung said the timeline for restarting the facility could be shortened depending on the results of the safety review and an assessment of how much equipment must be replaced. Taiwan People’s Party lawmaker Liu Shu-pin (劉書彬) questioned Kung about whether the government is considering nuclear power as a stable energy source in the event of a wartime blockade that could disrupt Taiwan’s energy supplies.

Liu cited a war game simulation released in August 2025 by the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, which examined the impact of a Chinese blockade of the Taiwan Strait. The report predicted Taiwan could run out of natural gas reserves in about 10 days, coal in seven weeks, and oil in 20 weeks, reducing the country’s electricity generation capacity to roughly 20% of normal levels.

Former US Office of Naval Intelligence Commander Mike Studeman previously recommended Taiwan maintain at least one nuclear power plant to mitigate the risk of China cutting off the country’s energy supplies, Liu said. He asked if the government was considering such an option.

Kung said the government has evaluated such scenarios and has already signed a contract with the US-based nuclear technology company Westinghouse.