TAIPEI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) said Monday that it had applied to Taiwan's atomic energy authority to restart the second reactor at the No. 2 nuclear power plant, which has been shut down for about 600 days.

The company said repairs on the second reactor at the No. 2 nuclear power plant had been completed, and it applied for approval to resume operations until 2023.

The Democratic Progressive Party authority pushed forward the "nuclear-free homeland" policy, aiming to phase out all the existing nuclear power plants in Taiwan by 2025.

Taiwan has four nuclear power plants. The fourth has never been put into use since its completion. There are a total of six reactors in the first three nuclear power plants, but only half of them are currently operating.

However, the reduction in nuclear power usage and the increase of fossil energy usage has caused more air pollution emissions in Taiwan, triggering strong protests from the public recently.

In order to cope with air pollution and ensure electricity supply, the Taiwan authority is considering restarting the second reactor at the No. 2 nuclear power plant, which had been under repair since the middle of 2016.

Taipower said if the reactor is allowed to restart, the No. 2 nuclear power plant would be able to increase its operating power reserve margin by 3 percent.