After arriving in Taiwan, Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) stated plainly that Taiwan needs more electricity for the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The remark was originally intended as an expectation for Taiwan’s overall energy strategy, but Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) turned it into an opportunity to attack the central government’s energy policy.
The problem is that Huang was talking about Taiwan as a whole, while Chiang was specifically referring to delays surrounding the planned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) substation at Beitou Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區). However, Huang never explained the connection between the planned substation and national energy policy — he just threw them out there with no context.
The situation is not that complicated. Nvidia plans to build a new headquarters at Beitou Shilin Technology Park, and Taipower has already drafted multiple power supply plans. Where the electricity for the headquarters would come from is not the current bottleneck. The real obstacle is the power distribution infrastructure — namely, the construction of a new substation — which requires administrative cooperation from the Taipei City Government. The necessary procedures on the city government’s side have already been dragged out for more than a year, and still have yet to be completed.
However, Chiang’s response was rather telling. He did not directly explain the review progress of the substation project, nor did he clarify exactly which part of the process is being stalled. Instead, he elevated the discussion to a controversy surrounding the central government’s energy policies, such as a “nuclear-free homeland” and the broader energy transition.
This was a smart maneuver: It reframed a local administrative issue — one for which accountability could potentially be assigned — into a much broader national debate over Taiwan’s energy direction, a dispute that is unlikely to reach any finite conclusion in the short term. By doing this, he diverted public scrutiny away from the actual issue.
This kind of rhetoric is nothing unusual in Taiwanese politics. When someone asks you why you are late, you can respond by saying that “Taiwan’s transportation infrastructure has always had issues” — although this statement is not entirely wrong, it clearly sidesteps the core issue. With regard to the nation’s energy policy, there are certainly many issues worthy of serious discussion, but that is another matter entirely.
It cannot be used as an explanation for why progress on a single substation project has been stalled. Using broader policy disputes to justify administrative inaction at the local level is inherently dishonest.
Particularly noteworthy is the timing of Chiang’s remarks. The establishment of an Nvidia headquarters at Beitou Shilin Technology Park carries undeniable significance for Taiwan’s industrial development.
If delays in the planned substation end up postponing Nvidia’s entry schedule, the cost would extend far beyond a single development project — it would affect Taiwan’s credibility and position within the global AI supply chain.
At this critical juncture, rather than wasting energy on political battles over central versus local energy policy debates, it would be far more meaningful to complete the substation review that has already been delayed for a year. This would live up to the goal of promoting economic growth.
Dino Wei is an engineer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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