Taiwan didn’t move an August referendum on whether or not or not a nuclear plant ought to be restarted, if it had been deemed secure to function. Whereas the greater than 4 million votes for “sure” outnumbered the greater than 1.5 million “no” votes, the variety of affirmative votes didn’t surpass the 25 p.c threshold of eligible voters additionally required for the referendum to move. In consequence, Taiwan stays on the nuclear-free path it has adopted because the shutdown of the nuclear plant in query, Maanshan nuclear power plant, in southern Taiwan on 17 Might, fulfilling a 2016 government pledge made on account of Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Nevertheless, high-tech industries together with semiconductor manufacturing, AI data centers and AI infrastructure operators, will proceed fueling electrical energy demand. The query stays as as to whether or not Taiwan can ship dependable, clear energy to assist the expansion of those industries amid Chinese language geopolitical stress—and without nuclear energy.
Taiwan’s power panorama stays complicated. Nuclear power, developed because the Seventies, has seen older reactors retired since 2018. Taiwan imports 95 percent of its energy and has a rising reliance on natural gas. But it surely additionally goals to cut back carbon emissions, enhance grid reliability, and broaden its energy storage choices.
“With out power, there’s no industrial development… and nuclear is a wonderful choice,” NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang mentioned throughout a pre-referendum visit to Taipei on 22 August. He met with key gamers in high-tech provide chains, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest chip foundry producing superior chips for smartphones, high-performance computing, and AI purposes.
It was not Huang’s first time advocating for nuclear power. Throughout Computex Taipei in Might he said, “We’d like power from any single supply: wind, photo voltaic, nuclear. Taiwan ought to completely spend money on nuclear, and it shouldn’t be a stigma to have power.”
Nvidia has been increasing in Taiwan, partnering with Foxconn and the federal government to construct a ten,000-Blackwell GPU AI coaching and supercomputing facility within the south, opening a bigger Taipei workplace, and collaborating with Taiwanese firms corresponding to TSMC to construct an AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Taiwan president Lai Ching-te promised to honor the referendum consequence whereas specializing in numerous power sources. He mentioned Taiwan would possibly think about superior nuclear choices if expertise improves, waste decreases, and public assist grows.
In late August, the federal government accredited a draft piece of legislation, the AI Basic Act, designed to create a supportive atmosphere for AI improvement and use. The draft emphasizes the federal government’s position in selling AI analysis, purposes, and infrastructure. In the meantime, the newly reshuffled Cupboard is below stress by trade and the broader public to take care of energy security.
In mid-September, newly appointed Minister of Financial Affairs Ming-hsin Kung emphasised that Taiwan is a worldwide hub for chips and expertise, shaping methods for the following 10 to twenty years.
Kung burdened that companies require each stable power supply and green energy to satisfy commitments to 100% renewable power from world company initiative RE110. He mentioned the brand new Cupboard will proceed specializing in renewable power whereas adjusting rollout velocity. The aim is to raise renewables to 20 percent of Taiwan’s power supply by the top of 2026—a difficult goal vital in protecting Taiwan aggressive in world provide chains. He estimated renewable power will account for around 15 percent of power generation by the top of 2025, up from 11.9 percent in 2024.
A wind turbine and its solar power system are seen at Taipower Exhibit Middle in Pingtung, in Southern Taiwan on 29 April, 2025.I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Photographs
For photo voltaic, Kung pledged to strengthen present tasks, resolve land-use conflicts with fish farms in solar-fishery initiatives, and substitute older solar panels with newer ones that produce twice as a lot power. Offshore wind building will likely be accelerated, and a trial program for floating wind turbines will resume. Taiwan can even actively develop different green energy sources, corresponding to geothermal and hydrogen.
On nuclear, Kung reaffirmed Taiwan’s nuclear-free path however left open the potential for adopting superior applied sciences like small modular reactors. Pointers for evaluating potential restarts of present vegetation will likely be launched by the top of October. Step one will see the Taiwan Energy Firm (Taipower) conducting assessments of all three halted nuclear vegetation, with initial results due next year. Maanshan, which started industrial operations in 1984, is considered the almost certainly to move the protection self-assessments, which can deal with the flexibility to take care of getting older gear and improve earthquake resilience.
In a report launched on 26 September, Taiwan’s Vitality Administration tasks electrical energy demand to grow 1.7 percent annually from 2025 to 2034. The forecast elements in expansions to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, investments in AI improvement, and anticipated power financial savings.
To fulfill rising energy demand, the federal government at the moment plans to spice up pure gasoline era whereas phasing out giant nuclear, coal, and oil vegetation. Web additions of 12.2 gigawatts in gas-fired capacity are expected by 2034.
Semiconductor Trade Considerations
However high-tech industries specific concern. In early September, at SEMICON Taiwan, Charles Lee, the managing director of Topco Group, a significant semiconductor provider, informed IEEE Spectrum that producers fear about grid stability as AI and semiconductor development accelerates. “Extremely polluting coal-fired vegetation are now not an choice, so we’ll rely extra on liquefied natural gas and less-stable renewables. If nuclear vegetation might be restarted, I might personally welcome it,” Lee says.
In the meantime, a reminiscence manufacturing director, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he isn’t licensed by his firm to talk to the media, informed IEEE Spectrum that Taiwan’s financial system continues to be manufacturing-driven. “We’re involved in regards to the low effectivity of inexperienced power. We’ve additionally seen a development overseas, with nations resuming nuclear plant building,” he says.
In a televised debate forward of the August referendum, Tzu-Hsien Tung, chairman of Pegatron Corporation, voiced assist for restarting nuclear power plants. He warned that if Taiwan continues to depend on carbon-heavy electrical energy, native corporations might face steep carbon taxes abroad, undermining their world competitiveness.
AI server samples are displayed on the Zhen Ding Tech Group sales space in the course of the Semicon Taiwan exhibition in Taipei on September 10, 2025.I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Photographs
As Taiwanese society debated whether or not to restart nuclear energy vegetation, some Taiwanese power specialists, together with Tze-Luen Lin, deputy executive director of the Taiwanese government’s Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction and a political science professor at Nationwide Taiwan College, have referred to as for contemporary approaches to Taiwan’s power resilience amid ongoing Chinese language threats, echoing to notions introduced by non-governmental organizations and thinkthanks, corresponding to the U.S.-based Center for Climate and Security, {that a} clean energy transition can strengthen national security.
On the Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies convention in Japan on 21 September, Lin highlighted that renewable power is central to each power and nationwide safety. He emphasised, “Vitality resilience can solely be strengthened via decentralized, domestically sourced renewables, mixed with microgrids and power storage,” and warned that enormous, centralized energy vegetation are simpler targets for assault.
Commenting on Taiwan’s attainable nuclear choices, Jusen Asuka, a professor at Tohoku University and chair of the session within the convention, cautioned that SMRs stay immature and expensive, and investing closely in them might gradual renewable power improvement. improvement.
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