Taiwan did not move an August referendum on whether or not or not a nuclear plant must 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 p.c threshold of eligible voters additionally required for the referendum to move. Consequently, Taiwan stays on the nuclear-free path it has adopted for the reason that shutdown of the nuclear plant in query, Maanshan nuclear power plant, in southern Taiwan on 17 Could, 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 vitality panorama stays complicated. Nuclear power, developed for the reason that Nineteen Seventies, has seen older reactors retired since 2018. Taiwan imports 95 percent of its energy and has a rising reliance on natural gas. However it additionally goals to cut back carbon emissions, enhance grid reliability, and broaden its energy storage choices.
“With out vitality, 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 vitality. Throughout Computex Taipei in Could he said, “We want vitality 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 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 similar to TSMC to construct an AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Taiwan president Lai Ching-te promised to honor the referendum end result whereas specializing in various vitality 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 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 beneath strain 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 world hub for chips and know-how, shaping methods for the following 10 to twenty years.
Kung careworn that companies require each stable power supply and green energy to satisfy commitments to one hundred pc renewable vitality from world company initiative RE110. He mentioned the brand new Cupboard will proceed specializing in renewable vitality 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 essential in maintaining Taiwan aggressive in world provide chains. He estimated renewable vitality 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 Photos
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 vitality. Offshore wind development shall be accelerated, and a trial program for floating wind turbines will resume. Taiwan may also actively develop different green energy sources, similar 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. Tips for evaluating potential restarts of present crops shall be launched by the top of October. Step one will see the Taiwan Energy Firm (Taipower) conducting assessments of all three halted nuclear crops, with initial results due next year. Maanshan, which started business operations in 1984, is considered the more than likely to move the security self-assessments, which can give attention to the power to take care of getting old 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 components in expansions to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, investments in AI improvement, and anticipated vitality financial savings.
To fulfill rising energy demand, the federal government presently plans to spice up pure fuel technology whereas phasing out giant nuclear, coal, and oil crops. Web 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 crops are now not an choice, so we are going to rely extra on liquefied natural gas and less-stable renewables. If nuclear crops might be restarted, I’d 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 approved by his firm to talk to the media, instructed IEEE Spectrum that Taiwan’s financial system continues to be manufacturing-driven. “We’re involved in regards to the low effectivity of inexperienced vitality. 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 corporations might face steep carbon taxes abroad, undermining their world 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 Photos
As Taiwanese society debated whether or not to restart nuclear energy crops, some Taiwanese vitality consultants, 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 recent approaches to Taiwan’s vitality resilience amid ongoing Chinese language threats, echoing to notions introduced by non-governmental organizations and thinkthanks, similar 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 vitality is central to each vitality and nationwide safety. He emphasised, “Vitality resilience can solely be strengthened by decentralized, domestically sourced renewables, mixed with microgrids and vitality storage,” and warned that enormous, centralized energy crops 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 vitality improvement. improvement.
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