President Lai reiterates commitment to providing stable energy supply

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) pledged his government would ensure a stable energy supply essential for the tech sector's development during the opening of the Computex trade show in Taipei on Tuesday.

"The government will ensure a stable power supply and provide a wide range of green energy sources," Lai said, in response to calls made at the event by Paul Peng (彭双浪), chairman of the Taipei Computer Association, co-organizer of the four-day technology trade show.

He did not elaborate on how he will fulfill that pledge.

At the same time, the president also promised to mobilize resources to build Taiwan into "an AI island," where the artificial intelligence (AI) industry thrives and its applications are ubiquitous among small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Lai said he would allocate resources to establish supercomputers to support research and development in both the public and private sectors, and to continue fostering talent in information and communications technology, semiconductors, and AI, among other fields.

In his remarks, Peng, who is also chairman of AUO Corporation, a Taiwanese display manufacturer, said Taiwan has become an "indispensable player" in the world's AI supply chains based on decades of experience in manufacturing and semiconductor development.

He added that robust computing power and a sufficient pool of high-quality professionals are crucial for any country aiming to excel in technological advancement and ensure its progress and development.

Peng said, however, that a reliable and clean energy supply was also critical to technology development, and he urged the government to "ensure the resilience and stability of the electricity supply system" in Taiwan.

He stressed the need for the government to reassess the country's energy mix, ensuring broader energy sources for the future while effectively reducing carbon emissions from power generation.

Lai and his predecessor, former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), both from the Democratic Progressive Party, have repeatedly said there was no electricity shortage in Taiwan and that the government would ensure a stable power supply.

These pledges have yet to reassure the private sector and the public, however, given occasional power outages and concerns of shortages during the summer of 2025, when Taiwan's last active nuclear power plant is closed.

Also, the strategy of phasing in renewable energy to replace nuclear power while maintaining fossil fuels at about 80 percent of Taiwan's electricity mix by 2025 has drawn criticism, as the renewable power rollout has lagged and concerns over climate change mount.

The latest data from Taiwan's Energy Administration indicated that fossil fuels accounted for 83.1 percent of Taiwan's energy mix in 2023, with just over half of that coal, while renewables accounted for 9.5 percent and nuclear power for 6.3 percent.

The renewable portion of the energy mix was well below the 20 percent target for Taiwan for 2025 and the 30 percent the world averaged for the first time in 2023.

Lai's pledge during the campaign prior to the January presidential election was to boost renewable power to 30 percent of Taiwan's energy mix by 2030.