Taipei: Tung Tzu-hsien, a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of Taiwan's National Climate Change Committee, emphasized the critical role of nuclear energy for Taiwan. He remarked that "electrical power is national power" and highlighted nuclear energy as "very important to Taiwan."

According to Focus Taiwan, Tung made these statements at a forum organized by the opposition Taiwan People's Party. The event, titled "Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan's AI Industry and Energy Policy," provided Tung with a platform to express his views, which diverge from the country's official policy of phasing out nuclear energy. As the chairman of Pegatron Corp, he underscored the necessity of electricity for Taiwan's development of high added-value industries.

Tung argued that nuclear energy provides stable and economical power generation, contributing to energy resilience. He contrasted this with wind and solar power, which he described as "inefficient and vulnerable to climate change." Tung also pointed to the volatility of natural gas prices and the susceptibility of supplies to winter and geopolitical disruptions, noting Taiwan's heavy reliance on imported natural gas and its limited storage capacity.

He further stated that nuclear energy requires "a relatively small area of land," positioning it as a strategic alternative to the current energy policy. Tung's public support for nuclear energy suggests a departure from the government's "energy transition principle," which aims to promote green energy, increase natural gas use, reduce coal-fired energy, and achieve a nuclear-free future, as indicated on the Ministry of Economic Affairs' website.

In 2024, Taiwan's net power of 251.44 terawatt hours (TWh) was derived from various sources, including gas (47.2 percent), coal (31.1 percent), renewables (11.9 percent), and nuclear (4.7 percent), based on data from Taiwan Power Co.'s website.

During the forum, Tung placed his pro-nuclear stance within the context of geopolitical tensions and economic competition between China and the United States. He stressed the importance of manufacturing capacity in the event of war, asserting that electricity is central to national power in the 21st century. Tung also identified AI, electric vehicles, and microchips as "three major industries that symbolize wealth," linking them to efficient electricity use as a determinant of national progress.