Iceland Republic is experiencing a rapid rise in electricity demand as a result of the AI market.
PUBLISHED: 13 May 2025 at 17: 26
A modified nuclear energy costs by Chinese lawmakers essentially opens the door to restarting the island’s nuclear power plants, underscoring a wider policy shift as its energy demand rises and tensions increase.
Congressional Speaker Han Kuo-yu said that nuclear plants that were previously just able to operate for 40 years will be able to renew or expand their licenses for up to 20 years at once under the amended rules. Operators can also apply for license registration as a result of the correction, either before or after it expires.
Taiwan, which has attempted to step out its nuclear industry but has also been forced to deal with the demands of a critical chipmaking business and an unpleasant reliance on imported fossil fuel, has a pressing issue. As Beijing puts more pressure on itself and the energy demands of the tech sector skyrocket, concerns have grown.
At the top of its nuclear power in the 1980s, Taiwan had three nuclear power plants with six effective reactors, but it has since phased out nuclear energy.
By 2025, the government had a “nuclear-free land” as its long-term objective, which may require nuclear power plants to be shut down as their operating licenses expire.
The Taiwanese government’s last working boiler is scheduled to go out of operation just before the bill’s introduction on Tuesday. Although the ballot on May 17 does not prevent the region from being in line with the country’s growing interest in nuclear energy, which is thought to be a low-carbon answer for the nation’s needs, Tuesday’s vote suggests a reversal that may bring the region into line with the current worldwide trend of renewed interest.
Premier Cho Jung-tai stated in a geographically aired radio that if the constitutional amendment is approved, his cabinet did not resist bringing back decommissioned reactors. He added, citing an estimate from the state-owned energy Taipower, that safety would need to be reviewed before a restart, for at least three years.
Using nuclear energy could reduce Taiwan’s reliance on imported liquefied natural gas, which ships and would be resilient in the event of a sharp increase in tensions with Beijing, especially a naval blockade.
Given that power consumption is expected to increase by about 13 % by the end of the decade, thanks to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, it would also lessen worries about energy security in the upcoming years.