TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan Power Company said Friday it had submitted a proposal to reactivate the Maanshan nuclear power plant in Pingtung to the Nuclear Safety Commission.

The move came as Taiwan shows concern about its energy independence during the conflict in the Middle East. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said on March 21 that two of the nation’s nuclear power plants shut down over the past few years could be considered for reactivation.

Lai named the Maanshan or No. 3 Nuclear Power Plant in Hengchun and the Guosheng or No. 2 Plant in Wanli, New Taipei. State utility Taipower cautioned Friday that submitting its reactivation plan for Maanshan did not mean the plant would start supplying electricity again any time soon, per UDN.

The official procedure includes a safety review lasting 18 to 24 months, followed by a review of the safety report by the Nuclear Safety Commission according to its own timetable.

Taipower said Friday it had begun to conduct the safety review of the Pingtung plant. Once the commission approves the safety report, it still needs to issue an operating license before the nuclear power plant can start working again.