Taipei: The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan) has raised alarm over the island's energy security, which is being challenged by the phase-out of nuclear power, delayed renewable energy projects, and increasing demand from the technology sector. At the launch of AmCham Taiwan's 2025 White Paper in Taipei, President Carl Wegner conveyed the concerns of the chamber's members regarding the need for a more stable and predictable energy supply.

According to Focus Taiwan, AmCham Taiwan's 500 member companies span a wide array of industries, and the chamber itself maintains a neutral perspective regarding energy sources. Despite this, Wegner emphasized the necessity for the Taiwanese government to involve foreign businesses in discussions around long-term energy planning and pricing, which would enhance investment confidence.

The latest White Paper by AmCham Taiwan underscores regulatory reform, societal resilience, and stronger U.S.-Taiwan relations but also points out significant "structural challenges" in Taiwan's energy transition. The document highlights the uncertainties in Taiwan's energy outlook, attributed to the phasing out of nuclear power, declining coal usage, gas development affected by global fuel price fluctuations, and delays in energy projects. These factors pose substantial concerns for energy-intensive sectors such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

In addition to these issues, the White Paper identifies stalled renewable energy projects, fragmented oversight, and inconsistent policies as deterrents to investor confidence, which has led to some investors withdrawing their investments.

According to AmCham Taiwan, energy has surged to the forefront of concerns that its members believe the Taiwanese government should prioritize in the upcoming one to three years. This issue rose from third place in 2023 to the top concern in its most recent business climate survey, conducted in late 2024 and published earlier this year.

AmCham Taiwan's Chairperson Dan Silver also echoed this sentiment at the event, stating, "I think that signifies that all efforts need to be on ensuring adequate supply, transparent pricing, adequate notice of changes in pricing, so that those new industries of tomorrow can continue to flourish in Taiwan." Silver further emphasized the necessity for Taiwan's government to ensure a sufficient local energy supply to support the growth of emerging industries.