TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid rising demand for green electricity from businesses and the growing power needs of AI infrastructure, the government will expand renewable energy development and consider restarting some nuclear plants to ensure a stable electricity supply.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Taiwan will continue developing wind, solar, small-scale hydropower, and hydrogen energy facilities. The government aims for renewable energy to account for 20% of total power generation this year, rising to 30% by 2030, per CNA.

Last year, more than 80% of Taiwan’s electricity was generated from coal and natural gas, while renewables accounted for about 15%, including 5.5% from solar, 4.2% from wind, and 3% from hydropower.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs said Taiwan’s total installed offshore wind capacity reached 4.4 GW last year, with 474 turbines installed. The figure ranks among the top globally in offshore wind capacity.

The ministry noted that despite the high cost of developing offshore wind farms, it will expand projects to meet growing corporate demand for green energy, aiming to increase installed offshore wind capacity to 5.3 GW by next year.

Taiwan’s total installed solar capacity reached 15.47 GW last year, the ministry said. It added that since last year, subsidies of up to NT$300,000 (US$9,600) have been offered for buildings under 300 ping (about 1,000 square meters) as part of efforts to boost local solar installations.

In addition, starting in August, buildings larger than 300 ping will be required to install rooftop solar panels. The ministry estimates the initiative will add 660,000 kW of capacity annually, enough to power about 200,000 households for a year.

Taipower will submit a plan to restart the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant to the Nuclear Safety Commission for review before April. The company will also seek assistance from US-based General Electric to assess whether the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant can be restarted.

Safety checks for the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant cannot begin until the issue of storing used fuel rods is resolved, as its fuel pool is already full, Taipower said. Lai also stressed that any restarting of nuclear plants must ensure safety and proper handling of nuclear waste.

The government will continue to explore new nuclear technologies, including nuclear fusion and small modular reactors, Lai added. The National Atomic Research Institute has started research on small modular reactors to support the development of next-generation nuclear energy.