An unjust and failed energy transition strategy? Taiwan's goal of becoming nuclear-free by 2025

Abstract

Taiwan launched an energy transition agenda to pursue a nuclear-free homeland by 2025 after the anti-nuclear party won the 2016 presidential and parliament elections. In 2016, the 2025 electricity mix target was set to 50% gas-fired power, 30% coal-fired power, and 20% renewable electricity (RE), and thus, no nuclear power. Despite many efforts, the electricity mix remained far from these targets at the end of 2020: coal-fired power, 43.5%; gas-fired power, 38%; RE, 7.1%; and nuclear power, 8.5%. This study evaluates the possibility of achieving the 2025 targets and the barriers to reaching each target. It also uses the concept of a ‘just’ energy transition to assess whether this vision meets the related criteria and why.