Ricketts, Coons Introduce Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE), the Chairman and Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, introduced the Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act of 2025. This legislation aims to expand U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to Taiwan. It supports Taiwan's energy infrastructure. It encourages Taiwan's use of nuclear energy. And it ensures adequate flows of energy shipments to Taiwan in a contingency. Currently, Taiwan imports nearly all its energy. This makes Taiwan vulnerable to Communist China's illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions.

"Energy security is a glaring vulnerability for our Taiwanese partners. Unleashing America's energy resources and expertise to strengthen Taiwan's resilience serves both the U.S. and Taiwan's national security interests," said Senator Ricketts. "Beijing would like nothing more than to force unification without war. We should do everything in our power to complicate Xi Jinping's plans to coerce Taiwan into capitulation."

"When Senator Ricketts and I traveled to Taiwan earlier this year, we saw first-hand the growing aggression from China," said Senator Coons. "We know that China will use every tool at its disposal to threaten Taiwan - not just militarily, but through 'grey zone' tactics like interfering with Taiwan's fuel imports. This bipartisan bill will help stabilize the region by allowing Taiwan to buy more U.S. fuel and encouraging it to work with the U.S. on next-generation nuclear energy that will make the island less reliant on imports."

The Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act of 2025 would:

• Direct the U.S. government to prioritize and facilitate increased American LNG exports to Taiwan and consult with Taiwanese government on strengthening its import and storage capabilities.
• Direct U.S. engagement with Taiwan on cybersecurity, physical security, operational redundancy, joint training exercises, workforce development and emergency response planning to enhance energy infrastructure resilience capacity building.
• Authorize the establishment of a U.S.-Taiwan Energy Security Center to foster dialogue and collaboration for academic cooperation in energy security and resilience.
• Encourage Taiwan to maintain nuclear power as an energy source and utilize new nuclear technologies like small modular reactors (SMRs), and for the U.S. to prioritize assistance and cooperation with Taiwan on nuclear energy.
• Expand MARAD's war risk insurance program to allow for coverage of foreign-flagged vessels transporting vital goods, such as energy resources, to Taiwan or other strategic partners when commercial insurance is unavailable due to heightened risks posed by military aggression.

BACKGROUND:

In May, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, organized a tabletop exercise with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and other senators. The exercise was led by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). The two-hour exercise tasked the participating senators with responding to a Communist Chinese-focused coercive campaign targeting Taiwan.

The exercise reflected the real risk that a Chinese energy quarantine presents to Taiwan. In addition to importing 98% of its energy with limited supplier diversification, Taiwan also lacks adequate storage facilities, limiting its capacity to stockpile imports in the event of a crisis. The U.S. is the world's leading exporter of LNG and possesses deep expertise in grid security, nuclear technology, and energy infrastructure. As a result, it can play an increased role in strengthening Taiwan's energy security and resilience.

Bill text can be found here. The bill was first covered by Bloomberg Government here.