TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Presidential candidates Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), and Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) agree Taiwan needs to transition to more renewable energy.

The three candidates’ energy policies also all describe the need to develop smart grids with energy storage capabilities. All three have also outlined some version of a goal to acheive net-zero carbon emissions in Taiwan.

One issue that divides the candidates is what to do about nuclear energy. Lai wants it gone by 2026, while the others have plans to use it as part of Taiwan’s transition to renewables.

Below is a summary of the Kuomintang’s, Democratic Progressive Party’s, and the Taiwan People’s Party’s plans for ensuring a sustainable and resilient energy supply for Taiwan. The information is based on past statements made by the parties’ leaders and their published policies.

Democratic Progressive Party

DPP presidential candidate Lai said that his policy is to decarbonize and achieve net-zero carbon emissions in energy production by 2050 by building on work done during the Tsai administration. Like Tsai, Lai wants to phase out nuclear power in Taiwan.

Lai has billed his energy policy as Taiwan’s second energy transition, after the Tsai administration’s “first transition” involving reducing coal use, increasing natural gas-fired energy production, more renewable energy, and going nuclear free. The second transition would involve expanding geothermal, hydrogen, bio, and existing solar and wind power.

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The policy outlines a plan to improve the power grid, and to review regulations around the development of renewable energy and energy storage. Private companies will be incentivized to enter the energy storage industry as part of the plan to increase the use of renewables.

The Tsai administration legislated that Taiwan would denuclearize completely by 2025, though Lai’s policy is to now achieve this by 2026. Taiwan has one operational nuclear power plant, two decommissioned nuclear power plants, and a fourth which is part-built with construction on permanent hold.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen opens the FORMOSA-2 offshore wind power project in May. (Presidential Office photo)

In October Lai ruled out restarting the construction on the fourth plant. Lai said this was because in 2021, Taiwan voted not to resume the construction of the fourth plant in a referendum.

However, Lai also said he was open to the use of nuclear energy in the future if safety could be ensured and problems of nuclear waste were solved. This marks a departure from the DPP’s longstanding stance on nuclear power, a party that committed to phasing out nuclear power entirely when it was founded.

Lai has said that by 2026, 30% of Taiwan’s energy production would come from burning coal, and by 2030 that number would be 20%. In line with net-zero, coal power would be phased out by 2050.

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Lai would set the amount of power produced by natural gas at 50% between 2026 and 2030, and phase it out altogether by 2050. Unlike other candidates, Lai plans for 29% to 39% of Taiwan’s energy to be produced using carbon neutral power sources by 2050, such as hydrogen and natural gas with carbon capture technology.

In October, the DPP government decided on implementing carbon fees for high emitting businesses that would transfer funds to the Ministry of Environment. On Friday, Taiwan’s Carbon Solution Exchange will begin trading, to facilitate the buying and selling of carbon credits.

Carbon credits will be provided to businesses that complete voluntary emissions reduction projects, who can then sell them to high-emitting businesses. The market will be regulated by the environment ministry.

Lai Ching-te outlines his party's energy policy in October. (CNA photo)

Kuomintang

In August, KMT presidential candidate Hou said he would not phase out nuclear power if elected president, and would achieve net-zero emissions in energy production by 2050. He said renewable energy production should be steadily increased so as to serve as the “main pillar” of Taiwan’s energy needs in the future.

A key point of the KMT’s energy policy is to “use nuclear to replace coal,” Hou said. He said his goal is to reduce the amount of power produced by burning coal to 14% by 2030, and to zero by 2040.

Taiwan has two nuclear power plants that are currently being decommissioned (25-year processes that began in in 2018 and 2021), and one operational plant, while the construction of a fourth partly-built plant is permanently on hold. Hou said he would restart the two decommissioning plants, and extend the life of the operational third.

He did not directly commit to resuming construction of the fourth, but said a review would be carried out to assess if it could be done. As he announced his policy on the nuclear power plants, Hou said that ensuring energy security and a stable energy supply are primary considerations for Taiwan’s national security.

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Taiwan relies heavily on fossil fuel imports for its energy needs, which has been described as one of Taiwan’s main security vulnerabilities.

With this in mind, Hou said that less than half of Taiwan’s energy generation should rely on gas. The party said it will reduce the percentage of energy produced by natural gas power plants to 45% by 2030, and will phase out the usage of coal burning power plants by 2040.

When reaching net-zero at 2050, renewable energy would account for 57% of Taiwan’s energy production, according to the KMT policy. At that time, the party said that nuclear energy would account for 18%, and the remaining 25% would come from natural gas.

Carbon-neutral power would account for 2% of Taiwan’s energy production by 2030, 5% by 2040, and 25% by 2050, under Hou’s plan. Like Lai, Hou also said he would invest in energy conservation, energy storage, and electricity grid upgrades if elected.

Hou Yu-ih delivers his plan to extend the life of some of Taiwan's nuclear reactors in August. (CNA photo)

Taiwan People’s Party

The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) announced an energy policy in November that would see Taiwan transition to sustainable energy production and extend the use of the country’s two decommissioned nuclear power plants. The party’s primary goal is to ensure energy security in Taiwan according to its website, and “Taiwan should not (be) hasty for green energy development due to the political agenda of phasing out the nuclear power.”

TPP presidential candidate Ko said that by 2030, 45% of Taiwan’s energy would be produced by gas, 30% from renewables, 10% nuclear, and 15% coal. Ko is opposed to setting any deadline for ending the use of nuclear power, and said this should only be done when renewable energy production development has progressed sufficiently.

Ko said he would extend the life of two of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants, and conduct an assessment on continuing to build the fourth, in line with the KMT’s Hou. Ko would position “these nuclear facilities as transitional support tools for renewable energy development,” while pursuing the goal of net-zero 2050.

Ko also said that a climate change committee including members of government agencies, academia, civil society, young people, and others, would be established to consult on sustainability. Mechanisms should also be established for consolation between communities and developers when working on new energy projects, Ko said.

The TPP would also introduce a carbon tax, which the party said will help low-carbon energy producers compete with fossil fuel-based production.

Ko Wen-je announces his party's energy policy in November. (CNA photo)