Nuclear energy 'important to Taiwan': Climate change committee member

Taipei, March 9 (CNA) Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of Taiwan's National Climate Change Committee, said Sunday that "electrical power is national power" and nuclear energy is "very important to Taiwan."

Tung made the pro-nuclear remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country's current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the opposition Taiwan People's Party titled "Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan's AI Industry and Energy Policy."

"Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added-value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity," said the chairman of Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Pegatron Corp.

"Nuclear energy is therefore very important to Taiwan. Its power generation is relatively stable, it's economical, and it helps with energy resilience," he said.

The co-founder and former vice chairman of Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus suggested that wind and solar power generation are "inefficient and vulnerable to climate change," while natural gas prices fluctuate significantly and supplies are "easily affected by winter and war variables."

"Taiwan's natural gas supply is highly dependent on imports, and its storage capacity is limited," Tung said in reference to Taiwan's largest source of energy.

In contrast, nuclear energy requires "a relatively small area of land," he said.

Tung's public remarks in support of nuclear energy imply that he does not fully support the government's official "energy transition principle," which is to "promote green energy, increase natural gas, reduce coal-fired, achieve nuclear-free," according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs' website.

In 2024, Taiwan's 251.44 terawatt hours (TWh) of net power (generated and purchased) came from sources including gas (47.2 percent), coal (31.1 percent), renewables (11.9 percent) and nuclear (4.7 percent), according to Taiwan Power Co.'s website.

At the forum, Tung framed his pro-nuclear remarks in the context of geopolitical instability and the economic rivalry between China and the United States, and noted the importance of manufacturing capacity "if war breaks out."

"Electricity will be the core power of nations in the 21st century," the businessman said. "The efficiency of electricity is the efficiency of industry."

"Efficient use of electricity is the key to whether a country will progress in the 21st century," he said, adding that he expects AI, electric vehicles and microchips to be the "three major industries that symbolize wealth."