Taipei [Taiwan], August 24: A referendum to push for the re-opening of Taiwan's last nuclear plant failed on Saturday to reach the legal threshold to be valid, though the president said the island could return to the technology in the future if safety standards improve.
The plebiscite, backed by the opposition, asked whether the Maanshan power plant should be re-opened if it was "confirmed" there were no safety issues.
The plant was closed in May as the government shifts to renewables and liquefied natural gas.
The small Taiwan People's Party (TPP) proposed the referendum earlier this year, and with the backing of the much larger Kuomintang (KMT) passed the legislation for the vote, saying Taiwan needs reliable power supplies and not to be so reliant on imports.
Around 4.3 million people voted in favour of the plant's re-opening in the referendum, a clear majority over the 1.5 million who voted against, figures from the Central Election Commission showed.
But the motion needed the backing of one quarter of all registered electors - around 5 million people - to get through under electoral law, meaning the plant on Taiwan's southern tip will not re-open.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
