No power shortage problem until 2030, AI growth a disruptive factor: Minister

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Taiwan will have no power shortage problem until at least 2030, although the growth of AI could be a disruptive factor, the new economics minister said Thursday.

Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said current estimates of power consumption until 2030, after taking into consideration existing applications to set up new factories and artificial intelligence (AI) databanks, indicate that there will be no power shortage.

"Why 2030? Because it generally takes six years for a power plant to be built and become operational," Kuo said during a meeting with the media.

"If we don't count the possible increase in power generation but at the same time, take into consideration the amount to be taken off the grid, we're okay at least until 2030," he added.

The new minister's comment came amid recent debate on whether the operation of Nuclear Power Plant No. 3 in Pingtung, currently the only active nuclear plant in Taiwan, should be extended.

According to existing regulations, the first reactor at the plant is to go off line in July while the second remaining reactor is to start the decommission process and stop generating power next May. Many worry that the start of the decommissioning process will result in a drop in power supply.

The minister acknowledged that if more AI research centers or databanks are set up next year, the calculation would need to be redone.

Considering that AI could see explosive growth from 2027-2029, "the third nuclear power plant could act as a backup plan," he said, but later stressing that such a plan would have to be carried out in compliance with the law.

To extend the third nuclear power plant's operational life, the current law -- which says nuclear power plants have to be decommissioned after 40 years of use and an extension has to be applied for five years before scheduled decommissioning -- would have to be amended as the period for an extension application has already passed.

However, even if the law is amended and the operation of the third nuclear power plant is extended, it would still take two to three years for the necessary safety checks to be conducted before that is possible, Kuo added.

Acting Taipower Chairman Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) stressed that recent power outages have been related to transmission and distribution problems rather than power shortages, adding that the building of new electrical substations has also been obstructed.

Kuo said that the ministry has identified some areas where there is a potential risk of power outages due to "high growth of electricity use, high population growth, and aging equipment," and will take actions to reduce the risks.