Environmental groups and renewable energy business representatives yesterday urged the government to make next month’s National Energy Conference (NEC) meaningful by delivering on promises made at the conclusion of past meetings.
The conference, which will discuss energy issues spanning a low-carbon society, sustainable development and setting reasonable prices on different types of energy, will be held on April 14 and April 15. Yesterday, representatives from the government, businesses and NGOs gathered in a pre-conference meeting to discuss each of the topics in detail.
However, prior to breaking into groups for in-depth discussions, representatives voiced their opinions in front of the assembly, saying that past meetings — the last one being held in 2005 — resulted in little change.
“In the past, the development of the energy industry did not follow the direction of the conclusions of the NECs; [before we conduct the conference] we should ask if we have reached the goals we set in past meetings,” Taiwan Cogeneration Association director Hsu Song-fu (徐崧富) said.
Hsu’s comments were echoed by InfraVest Wind Power Group general manager Ma Wei-lin (馬維麟), who said that while she was touched by the government’s initiative to clean up the nation and combat global warming, there have been few results.
“Green energies are not being developed [enough], and the largest factor is that the government does not give businesses sufficient incentives … Currently, wind energy receives fewer subsidies than natural gas. Is this fair?” she said.
This is not the first time environmentalists have attacked the government by saying it is all talk and no action, as similar complaints were made as early as 2000.
To create better synergy between business expectations and national plans in the energy industry, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said that the National Science Council (NSC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs should publish the contents of their energy schemes.
“While the MOEA is conducting a NT$14 billion Renewable Energy Industry Flagship Program, the NSC will also spend NT$30 billion in five years on a National Energy Program. NEC attendees should understand these plans so that they know what to expect of the industry in the near future,” she said.
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