Chinshan, Taiwan's first nuclear plant with two 604 MWe Mark-1 BWRs, closed in 2018-2019 and is in a 25-year decommissioning programme. Both reactor cores were fully defuelled by July 2026, and the government deemed a restart unfeasible because key equipment has already been dismantled.
New to decommissioning? The nuclear decommissioning market in 2026: size, players, pipeline
Current state
| Status | Fuel removal |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Location | Shimen, New Taipei |
| Site | Chinshan (First NPP) |
| Units | Unit 1, Unit 2 |
| Unit count | 2 |
| Reactor types | BWR |
| Owner / licensee | Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2019-07 |
| Decommissioning start | 2019-07 |
| Target completion | 2044 |
| Spent fuel | Cores fully defuelled by July 2026; pool to be emptied 2027-31 into dry storage (NAC MPC outdoor store; Holtec indoor store contracted). |
| Notable issue | Years of local opposition delayed the dry-storage facility needed to empty the pools. |
Notes
Unit capacity 604 MWe per NEI (likely gross). Plan stages: defuelling to end-2026, dismantling to 2038, testing to 2041, restoration to 2044.
Timeline
- 2016-01 — Taipower published a four-stage, 25-year decommissioning plan. (source)
- 2018-12 — Chinshan 1's operating licence expired and decommissioning was confirmed. (source)
- 2019-07 — Chinshan 2 entered the decommissioning stage. (source)
- 2025-11 — The economy ministry deemed a Chinshan restart unfeasible due to extensive dismantlement. (source)
- 2026-07 — Both Chinshan reactor cores were fully defuelled. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Related sites
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (KKB) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
- Emsland Nuclear Power Plant (KKE) Active dismantling · Germany
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Nuclear Power in Taiwan — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11
- Taiwan clears path to restart reactors — Nuclear Engineering International, checked 2026-10-11
- Holtec Awarded Contract to Build Sheltered Used Fuel Storage — Holtec International (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Work starts on Taiwanese fuel storage facility — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11