Taiwan did not go an August referendum on whether or not or not a nuclear plant ought to be restarted, if it have been deemed protected 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 did not surpass the 25 % threshold of eligible voters additionally required for the referendum to go. Consequently, 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 because of Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Nonetheless, 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 help the expansion of those industries amid Chinese language geopolitical strain—and without nuclear energy.
Taiwan’s power panorama stays advanced. Nuclear power, developed because the Nineteen 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 develop its energy storage choices.
“With out power, there’s no industrial development… and nuclear is a superb possibility,” 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 functions.
It was not Huang’s first time advocating for nuclear power. Throughout Computex Taipei in Might he said, “We want 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 corporations equivalent 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 may think about superior nuclear choices if know-how improves, waste decreases, and public help grows.
In late August, the federal government authorised a draft piece of legislation, the AI Basic Act, designed to create a supportive setting for AI improvement and use. The draft emphasizes the federal government’s position in selling AI analysis, functions, and infrastructure. In the meantime, the newly reshuffled Cupboard is below strain by business and the broader public to keep up energy security.
In mid-September, newly appointed Minister of Financial Affairs Ming-hsin Kung emphasised that Taiwan is a worldwide hub for chips and know-how, shaping methods for the subsequent 10 to twenty years.
Kung careworn that companies require each stable power supply and green energy to fulfill 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 purpose is to elevate renewables to 20 percent of Taiwan’s power supply by the tip of 2026—a difficult goal important in retaining Taiwan aggressive in world provide chains. He estimated renewable power will account for around 15 percent of power generation by the tip 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 Pictures
For photo voltaic, Kung pledged to strengthen current initiatives, 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 development will probably be accelerated, and a trial program for floating wind turbines will resume. Taiwan may also actively develop different green energy sources, equivalent to geothermal and hydrogen.
On nuclear, Kung reaffirmed Taiwan’s nuclear-free path however left open the opportunity of adopting superior applied sciences like small modular reactors. Pointers for evaluating potential restarts of current vegetation will probably be launched by the tip 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 most certainly to go the security self-assessments, which is able to concentrate on the flexibility to keep up ageing gear and improve earthquake resilience.
In a report launched on 26 September, Taiwan’s Vitality Administration initiatives electrical energy demand to grow 1.7 percent annually from 2025 to 2034. The forecast components in expansions to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, investments in AI improvement, and anticipated power financial savings.
To fulfill rising energy demand, the federal government presently plans to spice up pure gasoline technology whereas phasing out massive nuclear, coal, and oil vegetation. Internet additions of 12.2 gigawatts in gas-fired capacity are expected by 2034.
Semiconductor Trade Issues
However high-tech industries categorical concern. In early September, at SEMICON Taiwan, Charles Lee, the managing director of Topco Group, a significant semiconductor provider, instructed IEEE Spectrum that producers fear about grid stability as AI and semiconductor development accelerates. “Extremely polluting coal-fired vegetation are not an possibility, so we are going to rely extra on liquefied natural gas and less-stable renewables. If nuclear vegetation could possibly 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, instructed IEEE Spectrum that Taiwan’s financial system remains to be manufacturing-driven. “We’re involved concerning the low effectivity of inexperienced power. We’ve additionally observed a pattern overseas, with nations resuming nuclear plant development,” he says.
In a televised debate forward of the August referendum, Tzu-Hsien Tung, chairman of Pegatron Corporation, voiced help for restarting nuclear power plants. He warned that if Taiwan continues to depend on carbon-heavy electrical energy, native companies 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 Pictures
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 known as for recent approaches to Taiwan’s power resilience amid ongoing Chinese language threats, echoing to notions introduced by non-governmental organizations and thinkthanks, equivalent 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 by decentralized, regionally 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 dear, and investing closely in them might gradual renewable power improvement. improvement.
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