To Save Taiwan, Store Fuel
The island could run out of energy fast once China invades
If China chose to blockade Taiwan instead of, or as a prelude to, invading it, the island nation and its high-tech economy would go dark with shocking speed as stockpiles of natural gas, coal and oil ran out, according to one recent assessment.
That’s because the island imports 96 percent of its energy, including almost all of the gas, coal and oil that fuel 80 percent of its power generation. “One of Taiwan’s greatest strategic vulnerabilities is its reliance on energy imports,” says Ryan Hass, an analyst with The Brookings Institution in Washington.
Taiwan’s utter dependence on energy imports should inspire frantic action by the island democracy’s leaders. For all the billions of dollars Taipei spends on warplanes, warships, tanks, missiles and drones, this weaponry might matter for little if Beijing chooses to strangle its rival by way of blockade rather than delivering a military body blow.
It’s all but impossible for Taiwan to achieve energy independence in the timeframe—a few years to a decade—in which many observers see a high risk of China moving against the island. But greater energy resilience, especially expanded gas storage, could buy more time for Taiwan to solicit the diplomatic or military intervention that might save its 24 million people from Chinese subjugation.
Read the rest at The Strategist.