How the Hormuz Crisis Is Threatening Taiwan’s Power Grid
China's Gasoline Consumption Could Plunge 5.5% in 2026 as Oil Prices Surge Natalia Katona is a freelance commodity analyst, based in the United Arab Emirates.
Taiwan’s LNG problem has turned from a diversification debate into an energy-security test.
The island is 99% dependent on imported natural gas, and in 2025 roughly one-third of its 23.6 Mt of LNG imports came from the Gulf region – mostly from Qatar (almost 8 Mt) and another 200,000 t from the UAE.
With Qatar’s gas production shut down and the Strait of Hormuz blocked, already loaded LNG tankers are trapped inside the Gulf.
Taiwan received no LNG cargoes from Qatar or the UAE in April and May.
For a country where gas-fired plants generate around half of all electricity, this is a direct hit to the fuel that was supposed to make Taiwan’s power system cleaner, flexible and secure.
The shock has not yet shown up as an import collapse.
Taiwan imported 1.9 Mt of LNG in April, broadly in line with a year earlier, though down from 2.03 Mt in March.
That apparent stability in large originated from a record spike in US supply.
American LNG deliveries rose from around 200,000 t in March to 700,000 t in April, the largest monthly volume of US LNG in Taiwan’s history.
The US has become the emergency buffer, but emergency cargoes are not the same as a stable term supply.
They are more expensive, more exposed to global bidding wars and less reliable than the cheaper Qatari volumes Taiwan had treated as part of its baseload procurement.Related: Two India-Bound LPG Tankers Clear Hormuz in Dark Mode Australia is the othermajor pillar.
| Product | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Brent Crude | $102.14/bbl | ▲ +0.34% |
| WTI Crude | $96.90/bbl | ▲ +0.21% |
| EN590 Diesel | $846/MT | ▲ +0.18% |
| Jet Fuel A-1 | $1090/MT | ▲ +0.55% |
| Mazut M100 | $450/MT | ▼ -0.15% |
| Bitumen 60/70 | $470/MT | ▲ +0.08% |
| Sulphur Gran 99.5% | $470/MT | ▼ -0.44% |
| Urea 46% Gran | $650/MT | ▲ +1.12% |
| NPK 16-16-16 | $460/MT | ▼ -0.28% |
| Nat Gas TTF | $15.42/MMBtu | ▲ +0.92% |
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