Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) yesterday urged the incoming government to set up a supervisory committee to oversee the nation’s power industry and clarify who is to be responsible for supplying power across the nation if the industry is privatized and liberalized.
“The new government plans to accelerate the progress of power industry liberalization, and we support the idea, but it should rethink its role in the liberalization process,” Taipower chairman Hwang Jung-chiou (黃重球) told reporters on the sidelines of the Future of Electricity Summit convened by the state-run utility.
Incoming minister of economic affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) told reporters that the new government aims to develop the nation’s “green” energy industry, which includes efforts to amend the Electricity Act (電業法) to help liberalize and privatize the power industry.
Hwang said private electricity suppliers might like to enter the market after the industry is liberalized.
However, the government has to consider whether it could handle numerous private electricity suppliers seeking profit, he said.
The new government might also need to set up a committee to supervise the industry, Hwang said.
“The government set up the Financial Supervisory Commission when the nation’s financial markets were liberalized, it also formed the National Communications Commission in response to the liberalization of that industry. There should be one for the power industry, too,” Hwang said.
More importantly, the new government has to clarify who should be responsible for the stability of the nation’s power supply, he said.
As Taipower is state-run and has a monopoly on electricity supply, the company bears great responsibility to ensure a stable supply of electricity across the nation, Hwang said, adding that any potential power shortage or blackouts would draw criticism.
“Someone should be responsible for the stability of power supply after liberalization. There has to be someone to be the scapegoat [for stable electricity supply],” Hwang said.
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