Energy in Taiwan

In 2024, 83.2% of Taiwan's electricity generation came from fossil fuels (42.4% natural gas, 39.3% coal), 4.2% from nuclear, 11.6% from renewables, and 1.1% from pumped-storage. Taiwan relies on imports for almost 98% of its energy, which leaves the island's energy supply vulnerable to external disruption. In order to reduce this dependence, the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Bureau of Energy has been actively promoting energy research at several universities since the 1990s.

Historically, nuclear energy has been important in Taiwan’s energy landscape by providing reliable electricity, especially during the 1980s-2000s. The decision to phase out nuclear power by 2025 was first outlined in an ambitious energy transition plan created by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); this move accelerated Taiwan’s investments in renewable energy. In particular, it led to an expansion of solar and offshore wind capacity, with renewable energy reaching almost 12% of the energy by 2024.

Nuclear energy is controversial, and the privatization of the energy market (with Taipower that is owned by the state), originally planned in 2001, was postponed to 2006. In 2012, nuclear power accounted for a total 38,890 GWh of electricity generation in Taiwan. In 2015, nuclear energy provided one quarter of base load power generation and 16% of overall generation in Taiwan.

The 2016 election was won by the Pan-Green Coalition which supported policies that included moving toward a nuclear-free society. In the 2018 referendums voters repealed a portion of the Electricity Act which required the phase-out of nuclear power by 2025. However, since then, older nuclear power plants have continued to be decommissioned with no new plants planned.

Taiwan’s last active nuclear reactor, Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2, has been decommissioned as of May 2025. This is in accordance with Taiwan’s nuclear phase-out policy. Maanshan Unit 1 was shut down in July 2024 after its 40-year operating license expired. However, lawmakers passed legislation in May 2025 allowing for potential license extensions of decommissioned plants under new review procedures.

Taiwan’s energy transition has caused concern about the country's long-term energy security. As of 2024, imports make up over 97% of Taiwan’s energy needs. Public opinion on nuclear energy in Taiwan remains relatively divided. In 2021, a national referendum rejected a proposal to restart construction at the Lungmen (Fourth Nuclear) plant. In 2025, polling from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation [zh] found that 73.6 percent of respondents supported the extension of nuclear power plant operations, reflecting changing attitudes amid energy concerns.

The annual output of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from exploration and production within Taiwan is 350-400 million m³. While on the other hand, Taiwan imported 18.4 billion m³ of LNG, the fifth largest LNG importer in the world, primarily from Qatar, Malaysia and Indonesia. LNG-fired power plants in Taiwan produce electricity at a cost of NT$3.91/kWh, more than the electricity cost charged to the customers.

The Democratic Progressive Party Government of the Republic of China under Chen Shui-bian was elected in early 2000 promising to approve only liquefied natural gas power projects in the future, and to increase the share of liquefied natural gas of Taiwan's power generation to roughly one-third by 2010. President Chen's administration tried to stop the 2,600 MW Longmen Nuclear Power Plant, currently under construction, but a court has ruled the construction could not be aborted.