The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday presented its vision of a national energy program, setting a target of renewable energy accounting for 20 percent of the nation’s power source by 2025.
“Taiwan has abundant sources of renewable energy, but we utilize too little of it,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said at a news briefing.
Su outlined the DPP’s “New Green Policy” by listing the nation’s rich sources of renewable energy: wind power, solar power, geothermal energy, biomass energy and ocean power, which includes tidal energy and thermal energy conversion using seawater temperature variations.
Photo: CNA
Su promoted what he called the “25-20-20 Program”: By 2025, Taiwan should derive 20 percent of its national power generation from the aforementioned renewable energy sources, and the green energy industry should create 200,000 “green collar” jobs.
“We can reach this target. It is only a matter of whether we do it or not,” he said. “This energy policy will also help Taiwan realize its goal of a nuclear-free homeland.”
Su said that the nation’s energy predicament can be attributed to the government’s wrongheaded policies, resulting in a high dependency on energy imports, low utilization rates, inefficient supply, low usage of renewable energy and conflicts among various energy programs.
He said that the DPP’s renewable energy policy is not merely about opposition to nuclear power, but “it is a new strategic thinking to transform Taiwan’s green economy, by taking up green energy to drive industries and boost employment, while achieving new ways of living that is green, sustainable and safe.”
To realize the goal of a nuclear-free homeland, Su said that construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) should stop immediately, and the service life of the three existing nuclear plants should not be extended.
“Strict monitoring of nuclear plant safety should be implemented. We must also have comprehensive reviews of the emergency response mechanisms, in the event of an emergency at the nuclear power plants,” he added.
Reforms are needed for the nation’s energy industry, and the DPP aims to break down the current market monopoly in the petroleum and electricity sectors, he said.
“We shall build up strong and independent mechanisms to supervise and inspect these two sectors. A new energy supply chain system is needed to ensure fair access and justice for all levels of society, and to give priority to the underprivileged,” he said.
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