Taiwanese citizens demonstrate to end construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power
Summary
From 1988 onward, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU), Kongliao residents, and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led a long-running campaign against construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (NPP-4) on Taiwan’s seismically active northeast coast. [source: nv-database] After the 2011 Fukushima disaster, mass mobilisations grew; on 9 March 2013, 200,000 people marched in Taipei and three other cities in Taiwan’s largest anti-nuclear demonstration. [source: nv-database] Following former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung’s hunger strike beginning 22 April 2014 and a 2.4 km human chain to the Presidential Office, the Ma administration announced on 27 April 2014 that construction on NPP-4 would be halted; in January 2016 the DPP won power and passed the Electricity Industry Act mandating a 2025 nuclear phaseout, and on 1 February 2019 Taipower declared NPP-4’s completion no longer possible. [source: nv-database]
Tactics used
Background
Nuclear power in Taiwan enjoyed strong academic and state support through the early 1980s, when the state-owned Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) built plants at Shimen, Wanli, and Hengchun. [source: nv-database] The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and the end of martial law in 1987 shifted public attitudes, and the proposed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (NPP-4), first proposed in 1978, became a focal point for activists concerned about nuclear risk in a country prone to seismic activity. [source: nv-database]
What happened
Taiwanese citizens demonstrate to end construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power — 施典志(tenz1225) (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source: taiwanese-citizens-demonstrate-end-construction-fourth-nuclear-power-plant-and-amend-referen.jpg
In 1988, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU) initiated anti-nuclear street protests and public lectures; by year’s end, Kongliao residents — where the government intended to build NPP-4 — had joined, forming the Yanliao Anti-Nuclear Self-Help Association. [source: nv-database] Construction on NPP-4 began in 1999 despite opposition. [source: nv-database] In October 2000, after Chen Shui-bian’s presidential victory, the DPP announced the cancellation of NPP-4, only to retract the decision in February 2001 under KMT pressure. [source: nv-database] On 14 February 2001, activists from more than 50 groups demonstrated in front of the Executive Yuan, denouncing the backtracking; on 24 February 2001, more than 10,000 people rallied in Taipei demanding a referendum on NPP-4. [source: nv-database] Following the KMT’s 2008 return to power, the campaign resurged; in August 2009 the Green Citizens Action Alliance (GCAA) organised concerts in Kongliao and Fulong with the No Nuke Street Band, and on 29 August 2010 anti-nuclear activists formed a human chain to block the entrance to NPP-4. [source: nv-database] After the 11 March 2011 Fukushima disaster, escalations followed: on 20 March 2011, 2,000 protesters demanded a halt; on 30 April 2011, more than 5,000 marched in the “430 Sunflower No Nuke Action,” simulating a nuclear siren and collapse. [source: nv-database] On 4 June 2011, TEPU and 13 civic environmental groups rallied on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. [source: nv-database] On 9 March 2013, 200,000 people marched in Taipei and three other major cities, the largest anti-nuclear demonstration in Taiwan’s history; the same period saw Friday-evening parades and speeches by cultural figures including film director Ko I-chen and writer Hsiao Yeh at Liberty Square beginning 15 March 2013, and a 24-hour hunger strike followed by a TEPU relay sit-in at the Legislative Yuan starting 19 May 2013. [source: nv-database] In January 2013 the DPP proposed holding a referendum on NPP-4 alongside the November 2014 national municipal election, but withdrew the proposal after activists accused the party of electoral exploitation. [source: nv-database] The KMT’s own referendum plan was postponed indefinitely in September 2013. [source: nv-database] On 15 April 2014 former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung announced an indefinite hunger strike beginning Earth Day; on 22 April 2014 he launched the strike at Gikong Presbyterian Church in Taipei. [source: nv-database] On 24 April 2014, thousands linked hands in a 2.4 km human chain from Gikong Presbyterian Church to the Presidential Office Building, decorated with yellow ribbons. [source: nv-database] On 27 April 2014, several thousand citizens occupied Taipei’s streets demanding a halt to NPP-4 and amendment of the Referendum Act; the Sunflower Student Movement declared support, and that afternoon the Ma administration announced construction on NPP-4 would stop. [source: nv-database] Lin ended his hunger strike on 30 April 2014. [source: nv-database] In January 2016, the DPP won the general election and passed an amendment to the Electricity Industry Act mandating a 2025 nuclear phaseout; the legislature approved Referendum Act amendments slashing thresholds for initiating, seconding, and passing referendums on 12 December 2017. [source: nv-database] On 31 January 2019, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin declared “there would be no extension or restarts of nuclear power plants in Taiwan,” and on 1 February 2019, Taipower declared NPP-4’s completion no longer possible. [source: nv-database]
Key people & organizations
- Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU) [source: nv-database]
- Green Citizens Action Alliance (GCAA) [source: nv-database]
- Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) — including presidents Chen Shui-bian and Tsai Ing-wen [source: nv-database]
- Kuomintang (KMT) — pro-nuclear opponent under Ma Ying-jeou [source: nv-database]
- Yanliao Anti-Nuclear Self-Help Association (Kongliao residents) [source: nv-database]
- No Nuke Street Band [source: nv-database]
- Sunflower Student Movement (allied 2014) [source: nv-database]
- Lin Yi-hsiung (former DPP chairman, indefinite hunger strike April 2014) [source: nv-database]
- Ko I-chen (film director), Hsiao Yeh (writer) [source: nv-database]
- Su Tseng-chang (DPP chairman) [source: nv-database]
- Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) [source: nv-database]
- President Ma Ying-jeou (announced 27 April 2014 halt), Premier Jiang Yi-huah [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: won.
Construction on NPP-4 was halted on 27 April 2014; in January 2016 the DPP won power and passed the Electricity Industry Act mandating a 2025 nuclear phaseout; the legislature approved Referendum Act amendments on 12 December 2017; and on 1 February 2019, Taipower declared NPP-4’s completion no longer possible. [source: nv-database] A pro-nuclear referendum on 24 November 2018 later abolished the Electricity Industry Act amendment, but Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin declared on 31 January 2019 that “there would be no extension or restarts of nuclear power plants in Taiwan.” [source: nv-database] Per the source’s scoring rubric, the campaign scored 6 out of 6 points on achieving specific demands/goals, 1 out of 1 on survival, and 3 out of 3 on growth (10 out of 10 total). [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- A multi-decade campaign can outlast party flip-flops: even when the nominally anti-nuclear DPP retreated in 2001, civil-society groups (TEPU, GCAA) sustained the issue until political conditions allowed for victory [source: nv-database]
- Pairing street demonstrations with high-profile hunger strikes (Lin Yi-hsiung’s 2014 fast) creates personal moral stakes that party politicians cannot easily deflect [source: nv-database]
- External shocks (Fukushima 2011) can dramatically accelerate long-running campaigns by shifting the cost of inaction for incumbent governments [source: nv-database]
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-07-04 via
t6_build.py