Taiwan didn’t go an August referendum on whether or not or not a nuclear plant ought to be restarted, if it have 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 go. 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.
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 if or not Taiwan can ship dependable, clear energy to assist the expansion of those industries amid Chinese language geopolitical strain—and without nuclear energy.
Taiwan’s power panorama stays complicated. 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. Nevertheless it additionally goals to scale back carbon emissions, enhance grid reliability, and increase its energy storage choices.
“With out power, there’s no industrial progress… and nuclear is a wonderful choice,” NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang stated 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 akin to TSMC to construct an AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Taiwan president Lai Ching-te promised to honor the referendum end result whereas specializing in numerous power sources. He stated Taiwan would possibly contemplate superior nuclear choices if know-how improves, waste decreases, and public assist grows.
In late August, the federal government authorised a draft piece of legislation, the AI Basic Act, designed to create a supportive atmosphere for AI growth 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 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 following 10 to twenty years.
Kung harassed that companies require each stable power supply and green energy to fulfill commitments to 100% renewable power from international company initiative RE110. He stated the brand new Cupboard will proceed specializing in renewable power whereas adjusting rollout velocity. The objective is to raise renewables to 20 percent of Taiwan’s power supply by the top of 2026—a difficult goal important in holding Taiwan aggressive in international 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 Heart in Pingtung, in Southern Taiwan on 29 April, 2025.I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Photos
For photo voltaic, Kung pledged to strengthen present 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 building shall be accelerated, and a trial program for floating wind turbines will resume. Taiwan may even actively develop different green energy sources, akin 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 vegetation shall 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 business operations in 1984, is thought to be the most probably to go the security self-assessments, which is able to give attention to the power to keep up getting older gear and improve earthquake resilience.
In a report launched on 26 September, Taiwan’s Power Administration initiatives 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 growth, and anticipated power financial savings.
To satisfy rising energy demand, the federal government at present plans to spice up pure gasoline technology whereas phasing out massive nuclear, coal, and oil vegetation. Web additions of 12.2 gigawatts in gas-fired capacity are expected by 2034.
Semiconductor Business Considerations
However high-tech industries categorical concern. In early September, at SEMICON Taiwan, Charles Lee, the managing director of Topco Group, a serious semiconductor provider, informed IEEE Spectrum that producers fear about grid stability as AI and semiconductor progress accelerates. “Extremely polluting coal-fired vegetation are not an choice, so we’ll rely extra on liquefied natural gas and less-stable renewables. If nuclear vegetation may very well 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 licensed by his firm to talk to the media, informed IEEE Spectrum that Taiwan’s financial system remains to be manufacturing-driven. “We’re involved in regards to the low effectivity of inexperienced power. We’ve additionally seen a development overseas, with international locations 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 companies may face steep carbon taxes abroad, undermining their international 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 Photos
As Taiwanese society debated whether or not to restart nuclear energy vegetation, some Taiwanese power 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 contemporary approaches to Taiwan’s power resilience amid ongoing Chinese language threats, echoing to notions introduced by non-governmental organizations and thinkthanks, akin 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, “Power resilience can solely be strengthened by means of 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 potential 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 may sluggish renewable power growth. growth.
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