Taiwan: An energy sector study

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5318104

Johnson, T; Fridley, D; Kang, Wu

A study on the economy of Taiwan, with special reference to the energy sector, revealed the following: Taiwan's rapid export-driven economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s has earned them the rank of ''Newly Industrialized Countries.'' Coal reserves measure less than 1 billion tons, and annual output has declined to below 2 million tons per year. Marginal amounts of crude are produced. Natural gas resources have been exploited both on- and offshore, through production amounts to little more than 1 billion cubic meters per year. Domestic hydrocarbon production is forecast to decline. Taiwan prssesses an estimated 5300 mW of exploitable hydropower capacity, of which 2564 mW had been installed by 1986. Taiwan has undertaken a massive program of nuclear power construction in response to the rapid rise in oil prices during the 1970s. Energy demand has risen an average of 9.0 percent per year since 1954, while real GNP has grown 8.6 percent per year. Sine 1980, oil has provided a lower share of total energy demand. Oil demand for transport has continued to grow rapidly. Declining production of domestic natural gas has led Taiwan to initiate LNG imports from Indonesia beginning in 1990. Coal has regained some of its earlier importance in Taiwan's energy structure. With declining domestic production, imports now provide nearly 90 percent of total coal demand. Taiwan is basically self-sufficient in refining capacity. Energy demand is expected to grow 5.4 percent per year through the yeat 2000. With declining output of domestic resources, energy dependency on imports will rise from its current 90 percent level. Government policy recognizes this external dependency and has directed it efforts at diversification of suppliers. 18 refs., 11 figs., 40 tabs.

• Research Organization: East-West Center, Honolulu, HI (USA). Resource Systems Inst.
• DOE Contract Number: FG01-86IE10521
• OSTI ID: 5318104
• Report Number(s): DOE/IE/10521-T1; ON: DE88007619
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
015000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
02 PETROLEUM
020700 -- Petroleum-- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects
03 NATURAL GAS
030600 -- Natural Gas-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
13 HYDRO ENERGY
130100 -- Hydro Energy-- Resources & Availability
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210800 -- Nuclear Power Plants-- Economics
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
ASIA
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
DEMAND
DIESEL FUELS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY DEMAND
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GASOLINE
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
IMPORTS
INDUSTRY
ISLANDS
LIQUID FUELS
MATERIALS
NATURAL GAS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
POWER PLANTS
PROCESSING
REFINING
TAIWAN
THERMAL POWER PLANTS