Natural Gas (LNG): 43.4% of electricity generation. Taiwan imports 97% of its gas supply, primarily LNG from Qatar, Malaysia, and Indonesia, making it the fifth-largest LNG importer globally. LNG-fired power plants are a key focus of Taiwan’s energy transition, with plans to increase their share to 50% by 2025.
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Solar: ~5%, the largest renewable source, producing 10.69 TWh in 2022. Growth is limited by land scarcity, with focus on rooftop and small-scale projects.
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Wind: ~4%, primarily offshore due to Taiwan’s strong offshore wind speeds. Wind produced 3.53 TWh in 2022, with 66,000 MW of capacity under development, ranking fourth in Asia.
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Hydropower and Others: ~1.2%, constrained by limited river systems and geography.
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Taiwan imports ~98% of its energy, making it vulnerable to supply disruptions. Coal reserves last ~6 weeks, while LNG reserves are limited to ~7–11 days, raising energy security concerns, especially with potential geopolitical risks like a PRC blockade.
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The government’s 2025 energy policy targets a mix of 50% LNG, 30% coal, 20% renewables, and 0% nuclear, but progress on renewables is lagging due to land constraints and slow offshore wind development.
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Carbon emission intensity in 2019 was 0.509 kg CO2 eq/kWh, with a goal to reduce it to 0.394 kg CO2 eq/kWh by 2025.
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Taipower, the state-owned utility, operates most power plants, including 39 hydro, 27 thermal, 9 wind, and 3 nuclear facilities (as of 2007 data).
South Korea’s LS Marine Solution has won a $15.8m contract for the installation of subsea cables at a wind farm off Taiwan.
The contract is LS Marine Solution’s first overseas order and the first time a South Korean company has entered the international subsea cable market.
The project is part of the second phase of the TPC offshore wind project, which is being developed by the Taiwan Power Company.
The project will have a capacity of 294.5MW. It is considered a key component of the Taiwanese government’s first phase plan to establish a total of 5.6GW of offshore wind farms from 2020 to 2025. In the long term, Taiwan has a goal of constructing a total of 20.6GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2035.
“Based on our accumulated technology and experience as a first-generation domestic undersea cable construction company, we have successfully made our first step into the overseas power grid market. This project in Taiwan will serve as a catalyst for further expansion into the global market,” said Kim Byeong-ok, CEO of LS Marine Solution.
Energy News Beat