A sharp decline in the number of cross-Strait flights and foreign visitors has left Taiwan’s tourism industry scrambling to figure out ways to cope with the sudden drop in business. The recent COVID-19 outbreak is causing unprecedented economic disruptions throughout East Asia and beyond. While some Taiwanese and international companies with production bases in China are…
Most of the funding for this portion of Taiwan’s energy development is coming from international banks, with much of it guaranteed by foreign export credit agencies. Taiwan’s ambitious program to promote offshore wind power as a major energy source – installing over 700 turbines in the Taiwan Strait by 2025 – will require an estimated…
Permanent storage in deep geological repositories is the current international standard for final disposal of nuclear waste, but in practice this solution has so far proven extremely difficult to accomplish. The U.S. government has de-funded its deep geological repository at Yucca Mountain, and most nations have yet to begin development of similar facilities. Finland is…
Decommissioning will keep Taiwan’s nuclear sector busy for decades and potentially offer global opportunities. When unit 2 at the Maanshan nuclear power plant near the southern tip of Taiwan reaches the end of its license on May 17, 2025, all nuclear power generation on Taiwan will cease. At the peak, the six operating reactors had…
Taiwan is making big moves in solar and offshore wind, but are there also other energy forms that deserve attention? As Taiwan progresses toward its goal of 20% of power generation from renewable energy sources, the shortcomings of solar and wind are becoming increasingly evident. Solar power requires vast swathes of land, a precious commodity…
A dispute between Taipower and New Taipei City over interim spent-fuel storage is complicating the shuttering of nuclear power plants. After the second reactor of the Chinshan nuclear power plant reached the end of its 40-year licensing period last July, the plant became the first of Taiwan’s three nuclear power facilities to enter the stage…
Two industrial sectors appear particularly promising for Taiwan to develop as a regional center for the Asia Pacific. The best opportunities for Taiwan to play a strong regional role may lie with its fast-developing capability in offshore wind power and its already well-established foundation as a high-tech R&D center. Taiwan has big expectations for wind…
Bechtel is the U.S.’s largest private construction firm. In its more than 120 years of operation, the company’s projects have included the Hoover Dam, the Channel Tunnel, and construction of over 30% of global Liquified Natural Gas capacity. While Bechtel has had a presence in China for many years, the company closed its Shanghai regional…
As a center of operations for local and foreign businesses across numerous industries, Taiwan has a lot to offer. However, some lingering issues require creative solutions if it is to compete on the same level as some of its neighbors. Back in the 1990s, the idea of Taiwan becoming a regional operations hub for a…
Taiwan currently leads the world in terms of its procurement of U.S.-made arms, with a total of US$10.7 billion in sales already approved this year by the U.S. Department of State under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The US$8 billion F-16V acquisition accounts for the bulk of this amount, while an agreement for 108…
