TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A potential Chinese blockade of Taiwan has prompted the country to rethink its energy policy. 

If Chinese forces surrounded Taiwan, its ability to generate electricity would be crippled, Wall Street Journal reported. In a wargame conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Taiwan’s LNG supplies lasted less than two weeks, while coal lasted for seven.

However, a Taiwanese national security official said supplies could last longer than that. Taipei could ration electricity, but it would affect manufacturing, including the semiconductor industry and impact the global economy.

Its reliance on Qatar for 30% of its LNG is a strategic concern, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

CSIS said Taiwan would need US assistance to restore electricity over a longer period. Atlantic Council analysts said that increasing US LNG imports, currently at 10%, would help alleviate energy concerns.

Linking Taiwan’s energy security closer to the US would “reduce the probability of Chinese aggression,” WSJ cited them as saying. The country currently receives 97% of its energy overseas.

In March, Taiwan’s CPC signed a deal with Alaska Gasline Development Corp to buy Alaskan LNG and invest in a pipeline project that would allow the state to directly export gas. The Ministry of Economic Affairs said the agreement would “effectively shorten shipping time and risks, boosting reliability of Taiwan's gas supply.”

Other alternatives like solar and wind power are not yet developed enough for Taiwan to be self-sufficient. Wu Chih-wei (吳志偉), deputy director general of Taiwan’s Energy Administration, said the government seeks to “maximize renewable energy as much as possible, because this will be better for Taiwan’s security.”

Taiwan wants to have renewable energy sources generate 70% of power by 2050, Wu said. “Given how reliant we are on imports, this is not something that can change overnight​.”