TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) on Tuesday said there will be no energy rationing despite escalating tensions in the Middle East, adding that natural gas supplies for March have been secured.
Speaking at the legislature, Kung said gas shipments scheduled for early March have already cleared the Strait of Hormuz, while supplies for the latter half of the month have been sourced from alternative markets due to the growing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, per Liberty Times.
“Supply for March has already been resolved, and there will absolutely be no power rationing due to insufficient natural gas,” Kung said.
Kung said the crisis has prompted the activation of an emergency response mechanism, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs holding daily meetings to monitor developments. He added that fully activating coal-fired power generation would be a last resort.
Kung and others accompanied Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) at the legislative questioning session. KMT Legislator Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) raised concerns that an energy crisis could become a national security crisis, noting that Taiwan relies on Qatar for up to 25% of its natural gas imports.
Kung added that procurement for natural gas supplies in April has already begun, and contingency plans are being prepared in case the conflict continues next month. When asked again by Lin whether short-term natural gas shortages could lead to power rationing, Kung responded, “No, absolutely not.”
He said natural gas is primarily used for electricity generation and that backup units not reliant on natural gas are available for immediate use if needed.
In response to questions about whether the Middle East conflict could lead to electricity price hikes, Kung said pricing decisions rest with the Electricity Price Review Committee. He expressed hope that the situation would be short-term and would not significantly affect electricity rates.
