Several experts at a public hearing yesterday urged the Bureau of Energy to establish clear and legitimate guidelines for its two-stage selection process for offshore wind farm projects, which is to begin next year.
The public hearing was hosted by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) and Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance director Kao Ju-ping (高茹萍) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Developers of offshore wind farm projects are to go through the bureau’s selection process after they obtain approvals from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
As of last month, the EPA has given initial approvals to 19 projects, with their aggregate capacity amounting to 10.07 gigawatts (GW).
Under the government’s goal to develop a local industry of offshore wind farm technology, the bureau would give first approvals to developers who have closer ties to local suppliers, and who have better techniques and financial backing, the bureau’s Energy Technology Division head Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said.
The bureau would then select projects based on their bidding prices, Chen said, adding that it aims to generate 5.5GW of electricity from offshore wind farms by 2025.
However, many attendees at the meeting questioned the legitimacy of such selection procedures.
The bureau’s selection measure is diametrically opposed to its plan to localize foreign techniques of wind farm construction, Wpd Taiwan Energy Co Ltd (達德能源) chairperson Yuni Wang (王雲怡) said.
The company plans to build a wind farm off the coast of Yunlin County and its project has passed the EPA’s initial review last month.
As the bureau is to start its first-stage selection process in the first or second quarter of next year, it is almost impossible for developers to make promises about how they would localize techniques before that time, Wang said.
Developers should be allowed to make those promises until the bureau gives them final construction approvals, she added.
Developers of projects that have passed the EPA’s initial reviews can be said to have secured “commanding points,” said Kao Ming-chih (高銘志), associate professor at the Institute of Law for Science and Technology at National Tsing Hua University.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs is losing its edge in negotiating with the developers, because it did not expect the EPA would give them initial approvals in such a short time, Kao said.
The ministry should cancel its second selection that is based on bidding price, or it might violate the principle of “legitimate expectation” and infringe on the rights of earlier wind farm developers, he said.
Developers are likely to seek compensation from the nation if the ministry fails to give them construction approvals through convincing procedures, Kao said.
The ministry should clarify the “legal basis” of the selection process and establish a special committee for the process, said Lin Jui-chu (林瑞珠), director of the Law and Technology Innovation Center at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
Although the government has signed many memorandums of understanding with foreign energy developers, they do not legally bind the signatories, Lin said, adding that the government should sign formal contracts with the developers.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all