Taiwan Energy Profile: Imports Over 90% Of Its Energy Demand – Analysis

(EIA) — Taiwan’s gross domestic product grew by 5.3% in 2024, while its population declined slightly to 23.2 million people.¹

Taiwan has very few domestic natural resources and must rely on oil, natural gas, and coal imports to satisfy most of its energy demand. It imported over 94% of its energy demand in 2024.² Taiwan’s primary energy production has been declining since 2019 due to declining electricity generation from nuclear energy, and in 2024, primary energy decreased by 12%. Virtually all of its production in 2024 came from nuclear (47%) and non-hydro renewables (47%).³ In 2025, Taiwan closed its last operating nuclear power plant.⁴

Taiwan’s primary energy production has declined every year since 2020, decreasing from 0.41 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2019 to 0.26 quads in 2024.⁵

Its primary energy consumption decreased almost 5% in 2024 from the previous year and was met mostly by fossil fuels. Petroleum and other liquids accounted for the largest share (38%), followed by coal (32%) and natural gas (25%).⁶

Petroleum and Other Liquids 

In 2024, Taiwan produced 25,000 barrels per day (b/d) of petroleum and other liquids, which came almost exclusively from refinery processing gains.⁷ In 2024, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs estimated that the country had enough oil stockpiled to last 146 days.⁸

Taiwan’s petroleum and other liquids consumption was relatively flat in 2024 at 871,000 b/d. However, consumption has averaged around 974,000 b/d between 2015 and 2024.⁹

Other petroleum products, which consists of products used in the industrial, petrochemical, and transportation sectors accounted for nearly half of Taiwan’s total use of products in 2024.¹⁰

Taiwan’s four refineries have a total nameplate capacity of 1.4 million b/d. In 2024, Taiwan’s refinery throughput averaged 783,000 b/d, a 7% decline from 2023.¹¹

Three of Taiwan’s airports will start using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with a target of at least 5% of total aviation fluid use on international flights by 2030.¹²

Natural Gas

Taiwan is almost completely dependent on imports to meet its domestic natural gas demand, as it only produced 2.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas in 2024. This amount is less than one-half percentage of the country’s total annual consumption of 1,021 Bcf in 2024. Consumption grew by nearly 60 Bcf, or 6%, from the previous year.¹³

Taiwan mainly used natural gas for power generation (78%) and industrial use (15%) in 2024. Residential and energy sector use makes up most of the remaining 7%.¹⁴

In 2026, the Ministry of Economic Affairs estimated that Taiwan’s stock of natural gas was enough to cover 10 to 11 days of use.¹⁵

Taiwan has an estimated 56 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of methane hydrate deposits located offshore.¹⁶

Taiwan has three liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminals, with a total capacity of 1,013 Bcf, through which it imports all of its LNG.¹⁷

Coal

Taiwan is completely dependent on imports to meet its domestic coal demand. Coal-fired power generation accounted for about 76% of coal use in 2024. Coke ovens, which are used in steel and iron production, accounted for 13% of demand.¹⁸

Taiwan’s Second Energy Transition Policy, released in 2024, targets reaching a generation mix of 50% natural gas, 30% renewable energy, and 20% coal by 2030. Coal’s share of total generation was 40% in 2024.¹⁹

Taiwan’s coal consumption declined for its third straight year to 63 million short tons in 2024, a 4% decrease from the previous year. The decline reflects Taiwan’s transition from coal-fired to natural gas-fired power generation.²⁰

Taichung, Taiwan’s largest coal-fired power plant, with 5.5 gigawatts capacity, is slated to fully phase out coal by 2034. Natural gas units will come online in phases as coal units are shut down.²¹

Taiwan consumes mostly bituminous coal, which accounted for 72% of demand in 2024, followed by subbituminous (18%) and metallurgical coal (10%), roughly unchanged from 2023.²²

Electricity

In 2024, Taiwan’s total installed generation capacity was 66.7 gigawatts (GW).

Fossil fuels accounted for 63% of Taiwan’s installed generation capacity in 2024. The share of fossil fuels in the capacity mix declined by almost two percentage points less from a year earlier, due to the growing share of capacity from non-hydro renewables.²³

Most of Taiwan’s new generation capacity (85%) came from non-hydroelectric renewables in 2024. Solar added 1.9 GW of capacity, while wind capacity increased by 1.2 GW.²⁴

Taiwan’s generation composition has changed significantly over the past few years due to the policy-driven transition away from coal and nuclear to natural gas and renewables. In 2021, nuclear power accounted for 10% of the country’s total electricity generation, and coal accounted for 43%. In 2024, the share of total generation from nuclear power declined to 4% and coal to 40%. Natural gas and non-hydro renewables accounted for 38% and 5% in 2021, increasing to 43% and 10%, respectively, in 2024.²⁵

In 2024, Taiwan’s total electricity generation increased almost 3% to 286 terawatthours. Annual declines in generation from nuclear power (-32%) and coal (-2%) were offset by increases in natural gas (10%) and non-hydro renewables (30%).²⁶

Taiwan shut down its last nuclear power plant in early 2025. The closure fulfilled Taiwan’s policy goal of phasing out of nuclear power by 2025.²⁷

Energy Trade 

Petroleum and other liquids

In 2025, Taiwan imported 794,000 barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil and condensate, primarily from countries in the Middle East and the United States. This was an increase of 4% from the previous year.²⁸

Taiwan’s crude oil imports come in through three ports: Mai Liao (55% in 2025), Kaohsiung (30% in 2025), and Shalung (15% in 2025).²⁹

Russia was the largest source of Taiwan’s petroleum product imports in 2025, accounting for a 38% share. Imports from Russia grew by 42% in 2025 from the previous year.³⁰

Taiwan imported approximately 293,000 b/d of petroleum product in 2025, a 6% increase from 2024. The increase was driven by higher imports of naphtha from Russia.³¹

In 2025, 60% of Taiwan’s petroleum product imports was naphtha, more than half of which came from Russia (49%) followed by the UAE (18%) and Qatar (6%). Naphtha is used as a feedstock in Taiwan’s petrochemical sector.³²

Taiwan sends almost all of its petroleum product exports to the Asia and Oceania region (89%).³³

Taiwan’s petroleum product exports increased by 13% in 2025 from the previous year to 313,000 b/d. Increases in diesel (29,000 b/d), gasoline/blending components (13,000 b/d) and naphtha (4,600 b/d) represent most of the growth.³⁴

Liquefied natural gas

In 2025, Taiwan’s imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) increased 10% from the previous year to over 1.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). The largest source of Taiwan’s LNG imports was Australia, followed by Qatar and the United States.³⁶

The largest year-on-year increase came from Qatar (124 Bcf, 49% growth) followed by Oman (34 Bcf, 258% growth) and the United States (16Bcf, 15% growth).³⁷

Coal

Most of Taiwan’s coal imports come from the Asia Pacific region (79%), with Australia (49%) as the largest supplier followed by Indonesia (30%). Taiwan’s coal imports decreased by 6 million short tons in 2025 from the previous year.

Imports from Russia, Taiwan’s fourth-largest source of coal, accounted for most of this year-on-year decrease (5.8 million short tons) in 2025.³⁸

Source: This article was published by the EIA

Endnotes:

1. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
2. Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy Administration, Energy Statistics Handbook 2024, page 3. 
3. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
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5. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
6. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
7. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
8. Yep, Eric. “Taiwan Vulnerable to LNG Supply Risks in the Event of a Maritime Blockade.” S&P Global Commodity Insights, May 30, 2024.
9. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
10. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
11. Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy Administration, Energy Statistics Handbook 2024, page 103.
12. Shan, Shelley. “Sustainable Flight Fuel Added at Taiwan’s Airports.” Taipei Times, April 24, 2025.
13. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
14. Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy Administration, Energy Statistics Handbook 2024, page 139.
15. Yep, Eric. “Taiwan Vulnerable to LNG Supply Risks in the Event of a Maritime Blockade.” S&P Global Commodity Insights, May 30, 2024. 
16. Chia-nan, Lin. “Feature: Expert Urges Continued Research of Methane Hydrates.” Taipei Times, July 23, 2018. 
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18. Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy Administration, Energy Statistics Handbook 2024, page 151.
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22. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
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24. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
25. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
26. U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics and estimates.
27. Pipe, Warwick. “Reactor Closure Marks Taiwan’s Nuclear Exit.” World Nuclear News, May 19, 2025. 
28. Vortexa (accessed October 2025)
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