Taiwan did not go an August referendum on whether or not or not a nuclear plant ought to be restarted, if it had 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 p.c threshold of eligible voters additionally required for the referendum to go. Because of this, Taiwan stays on the nuclear-free path it has adopted for the reason that shutdown of the nuclear plant in query, Maanshan nuclear energy plant, in southern Taiwan on 17 Could, fulfilling a 2016 authorities pledge made on account of Japan’s 2011 Fukushima catastrophe.
Nevertheless, high-tech industries together with semiconductor manufacturing, AI information facilities and AI infrastructure operators, will proceed fueling electrical energy demand. The query stays as as to if or not Taiwan can ship dependable, clear energy to help the expansion of those industries amid Chinese language geopolitical stress—and with out nuclear vitality.
Taiwan’s vitality panorama stays advanced. Nuclear energy, developed for the reason that Seventies, has seen older reactors retired since 2018. Taiwan imports 95 p.c of its vitality and has a rising reliance on pure gasoline. However it additionally goals to scale back carbon emissions, enhance grid reliability, and develop its vitality storage choices.
“With out vitality, there’s no industrial progress… and nuclear is a superb possibility,” NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang mentioned throughout a pre-referendum go to to Taipei on 22 August. He met with key gamers in high-tech provide chains, together with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Firm (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 vitality. Throughout Computex Taipei in Could he mentioned, “We’d like vitality from any single supply: wind, photo voltaic, nuclear. Taiwan ought to completely put money into nuclear, and it shouldn’t be a stigma to have vitality.”
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 resembling TSMC to construct an AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Taiwan president Lai Ching-te promised to honor the referendum end result whereas specializing in numerous vitality sources. He mentioned Taiwan would possibly take into account superior nuclear choices if know-how improves, waste decreases, and public help grows.
In late August, the federal government authorized a draft piece of laws, the AI Primary Act, designed to create a supportive setting for AI improvement and use. The draft emphasizes the federal government’s function in selling AI analysis, purposes, and infrastructure. In the meantime, the newly reshuffled Cupboard is beneath stress by trade and the broader public to take care of vitality safety.
In mid-September, newly appointed Minister of Financial Affairs Ming-hsin Kung emphasised that Taiwan is a world hub for chips and know-how, shaping methods for the subsequent 10 to twenty years.
Kung confused that companies require each steady energy provide and inexperienced vitality to satisfy commitments to one hundred pc renewable vitality from international company initiative RE110. He mentioned the brand new Cupboard will proceed specializing in renewable vitality whereas adjusting rollout velocity. The aim is to elevate renewables to 20 p.c of Taiwan’s energy provide by the tip of 2026—a difficult goal vital in preserving Taiwan aggressive in international provide chains. He estimated renewable vitality will account for round 15 p.c of energy technology by the tip of 2025, up from 11.9 p.c in 2024.
A wind turbine and its solar energy 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 current initiatives, resolve land-use conflicts with fish farms in solar-fishery initiatives, and substitute older photo voltaic panels with newer ones that produce twice as a lot vitality. Offshore wind development shall be accelerated, and a trial program for floating wind generators will resume. Taiwan may also actively develop different inexperienced vitality sources, resembling geothermal and hydrogen.
On nuclear, Kung reaffirmed Taiwan’s nuclear-free path however left open the potential of adopting superior applied sciences like small modular reactors. Pointers for evaluating potential restarts of current vegetation shall 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 preliminary outcomes due subsequent yr. Maanshan, which started industrial operations in 1984, is considered the most definitely to go the security self-assessments, which can give attention to the power to take care of growing old gear and improve earthquake resilience.
In a report launched on 26 September, Taiwan’s Power Administration initiatives electrical energy demand to develop 1.7 p.c yearly from 2025 to 2034. The forecast components in expansions to Taiwan’s semiconductor trade, investments in AI improvement, and anticipated vitality 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 capability are anticipated 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, instructed IEEE Spectrum that producers fear about grid stability as AI and semiconductor progress accelerates. “Extremely polluting coal-fired vegetation are now not an possibility, so we’ll rely extra on liquefied pure gasoline 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, instructed IEEE Spectrum that Taiwan’s financial system remains to be manufacturing-driven. “We’re involved concerning the low effectivity of inexperienced vitality. We’ve additionally observed a pattern overseas, with international locations resuming nuclear plant development,” he says.
In a televised debate forward of the August referendum, Tzu-Hsien Tung, chairman of Pegatron Company, voiced help for restarting nuclear energy vegetation. He warned that if Taiwan continues to depend on carbon-heavy electrical energy, native companies may face steep carbon taxes abroad, undermining their international competitiveness.
AI server samples are displayed on the Zhen Ding Tech Group sales space through 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 vitality specialists, together with Tze-Luen Lin, deputy govt director of the Taiwanese authorities’s Workplace of Power and Carbon Discount and a political science professor at Nationwide Taiwan College, have known as for recent approaches to Taiwan’s vitality resilience amid ongoing Chinese language threats, echoing to notions introduced by non-governmental organizations and thinkthanks, resembling the U.S.-based Middle for Local weather and Safety, {that a} clear vitality transition can strengthen nationwide safety.
On the Society for Environmental Economics and Coverage Research convention in Japan on 21 September, Lin highlighted that renewable vitality is central to each vitality and nationwide safety. He emphasised, “Power resilience can solely be strengthened by decentralized, domestically sourced renewables, mixed with microgrids and vitality 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 College and chair of the session within the convention, cautioned that SMRs stay immature and expensive, and investing closely in them may gradual renewable vitality improvement. improvement.
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