The escalating military confrontation between the United States and Iran has sent a sharp warning to Taiwan. Disruptions to Persian Gulf oil exports, compounded by production cuts among key producers, pushed international crude prices briefly above $100 per barrel. For an island economy almost entirely dependent on imported energy, the message was unmistakable: Taiwan's energy supply chain is acutely exposed to geopolitical shocks thousands of miles away.
The strategic chokepoint at the center of this vulnerability is the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-third of the world's seaborne crude oil and a significant share of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) transit each year. Following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the strait was temporarily closed. The disruption halted the daily passage of approximately 16 million barrels of crude and petroleum products, along with 11.5 billion cubic feet of LNG—nearly one-fifth of global supply. Global markets lost an estimated 20 million barrels of daily output, driving prices up by around 30 percent. For Taiwan, which imports virtually all of its oil and gas, such a disruption is not a distant hypothetical. It is a direct threat to economic stability and energy security.
The crisis demands a structured response. Taiwan must move on several fronts simultaneously to reduce exposure and build resilience.
Firstly, Taiwan must accelerate the renewable energy transition. Taiwan has set a target of generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2025, rising to 30 percent by 2030, through expanded solar, wind, and biomass capacity. Domestically generated renewable energy is by definition, insulated from overseas supply disruptions and geopolitical instability. Reducing dependence on Middle Eastern oil and gas at the structural level—not merely through short-term hedging—is the most durable path to energy security. This transition also aligns Taiwan with global decarbonization trends, supporting long-term economic competitiveness.
In addition, Taiwan should expand strategic energy reserves. Its current natural gas storage capacity covers only around 11 days of consumption—a dangerously thin buffer. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has already outlined plans to raise the legally mandated minimum to 14 days by 2027 and expand total tank capacity to cover 24 days. Meeting this target would bring Taiwan's gas reserves closer to the levels maintained by neighboring countries. On the oil side, Taiwan's strategic petroleum reserve already exceeds 100 days—well above the statutory 90-day requirement—but further expansion through public-private partnerships and a layered reserve system covering both government stockpiles and commercial inventories would provide additional insurance against prolonged supply shocks.
Taiwan should also strive to diversify import sources. It has made meaningful progress in diversifying its LNG imports, sourcing from Qatar, Australia, Malaysia, and others. That diversification should be deepened. Locking in long-term supply contracts with the United States, expanding energy cooperation with European and American partners, and exploring new supply corridors from Central and Southeast Asia—including potential pipeline options or joint reserve arrangements with regional neighbors—would reduce the outsized role that any single supply region plays in Taiwan's energy mix. The goal is straightforward: no single disruption, wherever it originates, should be capable of destabilizing Taiwan's energy supply.
Taiwan also needs to strengthen grid resilience and distributed generation. Expanding renewable capacity alone is insufficient without a grid capable of managing its inherent variability. Taiwan needs investment in high-capacity transmission infrastructure, large-scale energy storage—including pumped hydro and battery systems—and smart grid technologies. Promoting distributed generation, allowing businesses and communities to install small-scale solar or wind systems and trade power locally, would reduce dependence on centralized infrastructure and lower the risk of system-wide failures during periods of geopolitical stress.
Taiwan should also improve energy efficiency and demand management. Supply-side measures must be matched by action on the demand side. Sustained government efforts to promote energy-efficient technologies across industry, transport, and construction—combined with flexible electricity pricing that discourages peak-hour consumption—can reduce overall demand without constraining economic activity. In a supply crisis, lower baseline consumption directly reduces pressure on the system.
Finally, Taiwan should develop backup and alternative energy options. It should pursue contingency planning for extreme scenarios. This includes research and development into hydrogen and biofuels as long-term alternatives to fossil fuels, a credible feasibility assessment of nuclear power as a backup source subject to safety and public acceptance conditions, and the establishment of regional energy cooperation mechanisms with neighboring countries to enable cross-border gas or electricity coordination in emergencies. These are not primary solutions, but they form a necessary second layer of protection.
The current Middle East conflict has exposed, once again, the structural fragility of Taiwan's energy position. Addressing it requires a coherent and sustained strategy that works on both the supply and demand sides: faster deployment of domestic renewables, deeper reserves, more diversified imports, a more resilient grid, and stronger efficiency measures. This is not merely crisis management. It is the foundation for Taiwan's long-term economic stability and its path toward a sustainable energy future.
*The author is a professor at National Kaohsiung Normal University. （Related： Exclusive | Sweeping PLA Purge Has Created a Potential Crisis in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese Expert Warns ｜ Latest ）
