Taiwan didn’t go an August referendum on whether or not or not a nuclear plant needs 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 % 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 Could, 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 if or not Taiwan can ship dependable, clear energy to help the expansion of those industries amid Chinese language geopolitical stress—and without nuclear energy.
Taiwan’s vitality panorama stays advanced. 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. Nevertheless it additionally goals to cut back carbon emissions, enhance grid reliability, and increase its energy 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 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’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 similar to TSMC to construct an AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Taiwan president Lai Ching-te promised to honor the referendum outcome whereas specializing in numerous vitality sources. He mentioned Taiwan would possibly contemplate superior nuclear choices if expertise 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 function in selling AI analysis, purposes, and infrastructure. In the meantime, the newly reshuffled Cupboard is underneath stress 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 world hub for chips and expertise, 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 vitality from international company initiative RE110. He mentioned the brand new Cupboard will proceed specializing in renewable vitality whereas adjusting rollout pace. The aim is to carry renewables to 20 percent of Taiwan’s power supply by the tip of 2026—a difficult goal important in conserving Taiwan aggressive in international provide chains. He estimated renewable vitality 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 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 vitality. Offshore wind building can be accelerated, and a trial program for floating wind turbines will resume. Taiwan can even actively develop different green energy sources, similar to 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 present vegetation can 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 more than likely to go the security self-assessments, which is able to give attention to the power to keep up growing old tools 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 vitality financial savings.
To satisfy rising energy demand, the federal government at the moment plans to spice up pure gasoline era 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 specific concern. In early September, at SEMICON Taiwan, Charles Lee, the managing director of Topco Group, a serious semiconductor provider, instructed IEEE Spectrum that producers fear about grid stability as AI and semiconductor progress accelerates. “Extremely polluting coal-fired vegetation are not an possibility, so we’ll 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 economic system continues to be manufacturing-driven. “We’re involved in regards to the low effectivity of inexperienced vitality. We’ve additionally observed 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 help 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 throughout 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 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 known as for contemporary 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 means of decentralized, regionally sourced renewables, mixed with microgrids and vitality storage,” and warned that giant, centralized energy vegetation are simpler targets for assault.
Commenting on Taiwan’s doable 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 vitality improvement. improvement.
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