Could Taiwan leverage geothermal to stave off blackout risks as it retires its nuclear fleet? The country is completing its phaseout of nuclear power plants, but offshore wind has fallen flat and importing LNG is geopolitically risky. Electricity rates are at record levels for industrial users. Could geothermal solve the problem? (Foreign Policy)
The “where” matters: Taiwan straddles two tectonic plates, making it rich in geothermal potential—a fact increasingly recognized by both the Taiwanese government and Big Tech.Â
President Lai Ching-te has supported growing Taiwan’s geothermal footprint to produce more clean power and shore up its grid, and Google announced plans to build a pilot geothermal facility to power its Taiwanese data centers earlier this year.