TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Energy Administration released the “National Electricity Supply and Demand Report” on Monday (July 15), predicting Taiwan's electricity consumption will grow 13% by 2030.
The Energy Administration said it planned to meet growing electrical demand through projects such as building new generators, updating power grid substations, and constructing energy storage systems, per CNA.
"A new power development plan needs to be carried out in a timely manner in response to the high penetration rate of renewable energy,” said Yu Cheng-wei (游振偉), director general of the Energy Administration.
Energy demand is expected to increase 2.9% annually over the next four years, fueled by eightfold energy demand growth from AI, which will increase from 240 megawatts (MW) in 2023 to 2.24 gigawatts (GW) in 2028, according to the Energy Administration.
"It’s a good thing to start thinking about this issue now. Only with sufficient preparation and thought can we face these problems in 2030," said Lee Yu-chia (李育家), National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises chair.
As for renewable energy, installed solar power capacity will have reached 12.42 GW, and installed offshore wind power will be 1.76 GW by the end of 2023, helping meet peak daytime energy demand. The Energy Administration predicts renewable energy will reach 20% of total power generation by November 2026.
Yeh Tsung-kuang (葉宗洸), Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science, National Tsing Hua University, said the government has underestimated electrical demand, with 15% growth by 2028 being a more reasonable estimate.
“There is no way to make up for demand with gas power generation, and renewable energy has repeatedly fallen behind. And once we fall behind, it is very difficult to recover,” said Yeh.
Yeh, along with other energy experts, believe that there may be variables in constructing new gas-fired power units, urging the government to reserve the option of extending the service of current nuclear power plants.
