The United Kingdom and Taiwan celebrated two decades of
collaboration in renewable energy during the 7th UK–Taiwan
Energy Dialogue and the 20th Taiwan–UK Renewable Energy
Roundtable, held in London on 26 November 2025. Senior officials,
technical experts, and industry leaders from both sides
reaffirmed their shared commitment to achieving net-zero
emissions by 2050 and reaffirmed the importance of sustained
coordination on renewable energy deployment, grid resilience, and
energy innovation.
Strengthening Bilateral Ties
Opening the Dialogue, Vincent
Chin‑hsiang Yao, Taiwan's Representative to the
UK, and , UK Prime
Minister's Trade Envoy to Taiwan, underscored the strategic
importance of energy cooperation.
Lee Chun‑li, Director General of Taiwan's Energy Administration
(MOEA), highlighted progress under the Taiwan–UK Enhanced
Trade Partnership (ETP), including the “Energy and Net Zero”
pillar signed earlier this year. Simon Payne, Head of
International Bilateral & Capability at the UK Department for
Energy Security & Net Zero, reaffirmed the UK's ambition to
become a clean energy superpower, including delivering
a fully decarbonised power system by 2030 and supporting
supply‑chain development through an active industrial
strategy.
Dialogue Themes Section I
– Offshore Wind Policy
UK officials, including Aidan Campbell, provided a
comprehensive update on fixed-bottom and floating offshore
wind deployment, including reforms to the Contracts for
Difference (CfD) scheme, investment in grid and port
infrastructure, and the role of the Crown Estate in
site leasing. The UK stressed its strategy to accelerate floating
offshore wind through innovation and supply-chain
development.
Taiwan's Cheng Ju‑ming outlined its three-phase
offshore wind development programme, which has positioned the
island among global leaders in annual offshore wind installation.
Delegates discussed technical challenges such
as geotechnical conditions, typhoon resilience,
and local supply chain capacity, as well as the transition
toward deep-water floating wind. Both sides exchanged views
on foundation types, deployment depths,
and standardisation of floating technologies to ensure
cost efficiency and safety.
Section II – Project Finance and
Bankability
Shen Tien‑chun, from Taiwan's National Credit Guarantee
Administration, explained its role in providing guarantees
for green energy projects and enabling local financial
institutions to participate in project finance. Key
challenges identified included capital
requirements, Taiwan-dollar liquidity
constraints, Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA)
market maturity, and risk appetite among domestic banks.
Jack Hebb, UK Export Finance
(UKEF), shared insights into export credit agency
cooperation, the evolution of offshore wind financing, and
opportunities for blended finance models. Shyam
Desai, British Office
Taipei Economic Section Head, presented
findings from a Carbon Trust study aimed at improving
Taiwan's financing environment. Both sides agreed
that long-term policy stability, diversified financing
tools, and greater involvement from domestic banks are
essential to sustain sector growth.
Section III – Marine Spatial
Planning
Chloe Meacher from the UK's Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) introduced
its marine spatial prioritisation methodology, designed
to address the growing “spatial squeeze” in crowded waters and
balance competing interests such as energy, environmental
protection, defence, shipping, and fisheries. Chen
Wei‑te, from Taiwan's Metal Industries Research &
Development Centre presented its maritime zoning
framework and plans for multi-use demonstration
projects to support next-generation offshore wind
development. Both sides expressed interest in continued technical
exchanges on planning
methodologies and environmental management.
Roundtable Highlights
The 20th Taiwan–UK Renewable Energy Roundtable featured sessions
on port planning, emerging marine energy
technologies, and smart grid integration, with contributions
from Sandra Li, Liu Tzu‑yar, Chung
Cheng‑hsien, Sam Strivens, Ho Ping‑heng,
and Peter Weston.
The Roundtable also featured the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding between Taiwan's Metal Industries
Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) and the
UK's Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE
Catapult) to deepen technical collaboration.
Looking Ahead
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation
across policy, financing, technology,
and marine planning, recognising the Dialogue's role in
clean-energy deployment, industrial development, and energy
security. Taiwan will host the 8th UK–Taiwan Energy Dialogue
in 2026, marking another milestone in this enduring
partnership.
