Since the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) won the parliamentary majority and the presidency in 2016, the policy priority has been on legislating the phasing out of nuclear energy by 2025 and developing green energy by transforming Taiwan’s existing energy structure. This research closely looks into the policy process of the amendment of the Electricity Act (EA) in 2016 in Taiwan. Our research indicates how the extent of reform adoption has been determined primarily by domestic political struggle. The evidence indicates that the EA amendment has been dominated by the energy iron triangle of politicians, the Taipower union and environmental nongovernmental organisations (ENGOs).
The contribution of this study informs how power struggles play a huge role in determining the extent of the energy transition. The EA revision involved long negotiations and power plays among the actors in the energy iron triangle. The overall purpose of this research is to identify the power relations between the actors in the energy iron triangle during the energy transition towards a nuclear-free homeland and to determine how these power structures could set obstacles in the way of achieving a green shift. Our research contributes to the wider debate on the dynamics of energy transition from nuclear energy to low-carbon energy, and will help to achieve the green shift as smoothly as possible.
