Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said the ministry has contacted the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association to explore ways to support the association’s proposal to establish technology parks in Mexico, Poland, India and the Philippines.
The ministry has set up trading centers in the Czech Republic, Japan, the US and other markets to help local manufacturers deploy strategically, and would assist them in establishing operations in the countries, Kung told a news conference in Taipei.
However, he downplayed concerns that local manufacturers’ expansions overseas would reduce their operations in Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
The expansions are not industrial relocation, but extensions of firms’ capacity and capabilities, Kung said, adding that the Department of Investment Review would closely monitor the situation.
The ministry would also help Taiwanese manufacturers secure orders from non-US markets to counter high US tariffs, with more opportunities in Europe, Japan, India and South Asia, he said.
Although uncertainty remains about the US’ semiconductor tariff rates pending the outcome of a Section 232 investigation under the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Taiwanese chipmakers had already started investing in the US well before tariff talks between Taipei and Washington to ensure smoother operations, he said.
Regardless of the tariffs, the robust demand for artificial intelligence products and high-end servers, and the investments in the technologies by Taiwanese firms, coupled with the government’s policy support for silicon photonics, quantum computing and robotics, would bode well for Taiwanese industries, he added.
Separately, Kung said that state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) would strive to keep the power grid’s nighttime reserve margin above 6 percent following a fire at Taipower’s Hsinta Power Plant (興達電廠) in Kaohsiung on Tuesday last week and a malfunction at the coal-fired Linkou Power Plant (林口電廠) in New Taipei City on Monday.
The reserve margin, which ensures supply during disruptions such as malfunctions or fires, should exceed 10 percent during the day, while Taipower would keep it above 6 percent at night, he said.
Taipower chairman Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said that it would keep the reserve margin above 6 percent during peak nighttime hours through the end of this month after the deployment of backup units.
While the power supply remains sufficient, pressure remains on the grid due to scheduled repair and maintenance of major generators, he said.
The power supply would further stabilize if a new generator at Hsinta Power Plant resumes operation next month, he added.
Last week’s and Monday’s incidents cut 2.1 gigawatts of power generation, Tseng said.
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