Taiwan to buy drone defences to protect power plants from China
TAIWAN is planning to buy drone jamming guns to protect its power plants, which it fears could be among the first targets of a Chinese invasion.
The guns and a passive radar detection and response system would form a two-tier defence structure to deter sabotage and attacks on critical infrastructure, the ministry of economic affairs said last week.
Taiwan’s close observation of Russia’s war with Ukraine and the extensive use of drones in the conflict was behind the move to boost the defences of its electricity grid and nuclear power facilities, officials said.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has increased its military intimidation of the island democracy, flying fighter jets on a near daily basis close to its airspace. Outlying Taiwanese islands, which have sensitive military bases, have also seen a surge of commercial drone intrusions.
Taipower, a state-owned electric power company, has approved an initial £250,000 budget for a first batch of 60 drone jamming guns. Even if it is able to safeguard its power plants in the event of a conflict, energy security remains an Achilles heel for Taiwan.
The densely populated island of 23.5 million, which dominates the global supply of semiconductors, is one of the world’s most energy-insecure economies, relying on maritime imports for about 97 per cent of its energy. The over-dependence on imports has raised fears that Beijing could choke off Taiwan’s energy supplies through a naval blockade without resorting to a full invasion. According to some predictions, gas stockpiles would last for only 11 days.
Securing Taiwan’s energy reserves will be one of the major challenges facing Lai Ching-te, the new president, after his inauguration in May.
Mr Lai must quickly decide whether to plough ahead with the planned decommission of all nuclear plants by 2025 – a decision that could boost his popularity ratings but further strain the power grid. Taiwan has already committed to net zero by 2050, and to increase renewables from the current 80 per cent of the energy mix to about 30 per cent by 2030. The UK is at the forefront of helping to reinforce the island’s renewables industry.
Taiwan is the UK’s largest offshore wind market in the Asia Pacific region, and one the UK export credit agency has been keen to back with more than £1.2 billion in financial guarantees, including for the Hai Long wind farm, the island’s largest project to date.
British investment in Taiwan’s renewables sector is set to rise after London and Taipei signed an enhanced trade partnership in November. But experts warn that Taiwan still faces a mammoth task to meet its energy security challenges even if offshore wind offers a partial solution.
The urgency of the issue was shown in 2022 during China’s furious reaction to the arrival of Nancy Pelosi, the former US House Speaker in Taipei, when its military launched missiles, war games and drills designed to practice “blockade” operations.