The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is studying methods to jumpstart large-scale public and private investment in the renewable energy sector, an official said yesterday.
“Although the Renewable Energy Act (再生能源法) provides a good basis for the development of green energy sources, we have not yet seen large investment in the sector,” said an EPA official yesterday on condition of anonymity. “The current situation is that costs are too high and the industry doesn’t provide good returns on [investment].”
The official said that while the law includes provisions for state-owned Taipower to buy electricity from other suppliers, the low price of power domestically was a major stumbling block in increasing investment in the industry.
The official said that EPA Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) admired the German Renewable Energy Sources Act and that the administration hoped that some of its clauses could be studied and taken into account for revisions to the Act.
“In Germany, the public’s acceptance of higher power prices has aided investment in green and sustainable power … this in turn has created [green] jobs,” the official said, adding that this was a good example in which environmental and economic needs did not conflict.
As a result, the agency was studying methods of cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Energy, he said, adding that working together could result in joint development of national projects and sharing of technical expertise.
The EPA was also considering amendments to its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which projects must undertake before being approved, that would encourage sustainable power sources and more harshly punish heavily polluting power plants.
The official said that large scale development into wind turbines and solar power plants would be more ideal than placing too much emphasis on nuclear power, such as a proposal to lengthen the operating lifespan of nuclear reactors.
“Nuclear power plants are not a long term solution,” he said, owing to factors such as the dangers of nuclear waste.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard