Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it has signed a joint procurement contract with ARK Power Co (誠新電力) to provide 20 terawatt-hours of solar energy as part of the chipmaker’s broader efforts to reduce its carbon footprint together with companies in its supply chain.
TSMC is leading an environmental, social and governance innovation model of domestic renewable energy joint procurement by creating a platform to match renewable energy with industrial power consumption.
The agreement enables TSMC as well as suppliers and subsidiaries that would like to purchase renewable energy to be matched with ARK Power, which assists in assessing their electricity demand and planning the best blueprint for renewable energy adoption.
Photo: Lam Yik Fei, Bloomberg
Since last month, TSMC suppliers have signed memorandums of understanding to procure renewable energy to jointly help the local semiconductor supply chain reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, TSMC said in a statement.
Through the joint procurement model, participating suppliers are assured of long-term contracts with stable pricing, thus lowering the threshold for TSMC suppliers and subsidiaries to adopt renewable energy, it said.
The agreement provides 1,000GWh per year of renewable energy for 20 years, or 20 terawatt-hours in total, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 250,000 households, it said.
TSMC is to take up 500GWh per year, while inviting suppliers to jointly subscribe to the other half.
Altogether, this venture is expected to cut about 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
“Through this innovative joint procurement model for renewable energy, we join hands with our industry partners to promote a sustainable low-carbon semiconductor supply chain,” J.K. Lin (林錦坤), senior vice president of TSMC’s Information Technology and Materials Management & Risk Management, said in the statement.
As a solar energy developer, ARK Power’s parent ARK Solar Energy Co (誠新綠能) said it expects to provide a total of 2 gigawatts of electricity within three years.
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