29 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE tion of any new coal-fired power plants by 2025. The roadmap outlines the intention to completely phase out coal, relegating it only to a backup role. Completing the fossil fuel portfolio, natural gas comprises more than 20% of the energy mix and generates nearly 40% of electricity (Energy Administration, 2024). Consumption increased in 8 of the 10 years from 2013 to 2023, with only 0.34% produced domestically in 2023. The largest suppliers include Australia (40%), Qatar (28%), and the US (10%). Collectively, nonrenewable thermal sources (oil, coal, and natural gas) contribute 83% of Taiwan’s electricity. Beyond fossil fuels, nuclear power—used exclusively for electricity—represents a minor share, just over 6% of electricity and about 4% of overall energy consumption (Energy Administration, 2024). Despite its potential for energy security, nuclear power faces significant political headwinds. The 2050 net-zero roadmap commits to shutting down all nuclear reactors by 2025. Three of the island’s six nuclear reactors have been shut down, and two were never activated, leaving only one operational (Hilton, 2024). The latest shutdown stemmed from inadequate storage for used nuclear fuel pods (World Nuclear Association, 2024a). Public opposition has been a major factor. Taiwanese citizens generally distrust the government’s handling of nuclear waste (Fan, 2021). Since 1982, the government has stored nuclear waste in the Tao tribe’s homeland, generating environmental justice concerns and public resistance to nuclear power. The government’s failure to reconcile with the tribe and remove the waste has left the community disproportionately impacted. The Fukushima disaster in Japan further heightened skepticism about nuclear safety (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2016). From a supply perspective, Kazakhstan accounts for 43% of global uranium production (Webster, 2023). Its close ties to Russia and China mean the two countries could easily disrupt the flow of uranium to Taiwan. However, Canada and Australia ranked second and fourth, respectively, in uranium production in 2022, making them viable suppliers for Taiwan’s nuclear energy (World Nuclear Association, 2024b). Renewable energy sources represent a growing but still small portion of Taiwan’s energy portfolio. Combined, nuclear, biomass and waste, and renewable sources (geothermal, hydro, solar, and wind) comprise less than 10% of Taiwan’s electricity (Energy Administration, 2024). Geographic constraints curb expansion options. Geology and geography limit the economic viability of geothermal energy (Wang et al., 2021), while droughts undermine hydropower reliability (Huang, 2021). Additionally, offshore wind capacity presents unique challenges due to geopolitiFigure 1 Energy supply and consumption flowchart, Taiwan 2023 Note: Energy supply and consumption in 104 kiloliters of oil equivalent. Data source: Energy Administration, 2024. Figure 1 Energy supply and consumption flowchart, Taiwan 2023 Note: Energy supply and consumption in 104 kiloliters of oil equivalent. Data source: Energy Administration, 2024.
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