The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled a road map for Taiwan’s push to become “carbon neutral,” with sources of renewable energy to account for at least 60 percent of the nation’s energy mix, which would exclude nuclear power.
NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said there is no need to worry about electricity shortages or a lack of green energy during the transition.
The nation is capable of increasing electricity supply by 2 percent each year, sufficient for companies to expand their operations, Kung said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
He confirmed plans to impose a carbon tax to subsidize the development of green energy sources and purchases of electric vehicles, among other things.
However, the government would give companies time to gain better understanding of the initiative and make adjustments before introducing the carbon tax, Kung said, adding that it would set aside some green energy resources for small and medium-sized enterprises to purchase.
Heavy users of electricity, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), have inked deals to buy green energy to be developed by local suppliers for the next 20 years, the council said.
Photo: Lo Chi, Liberty Times
Technology titan Apple Inc requires companies in its supply chain to support the carbon neutral policy, it said.
The government would earmark NT$900 billion (US$31.49 billion) from this year to 2030 to pursue the policy goal, including NT$210.7 billion to be used to develop renewable and hydrogen energy sources, NT$207.8 billion to build smart grids and storage facilities, NT$128 billion to replace conservation equipment and NT$168.3 billion to promote electric vehicles, the council said.
State-run businesses would contribute NT$440 billion and the undertaking might induce an additional NT$4 trillion of private investment, it said.
“We aim to raise the ratio of electric transportation tools in the hope that electric buses will make up 100 percent of street buses by 2030,” Kung said, adding that he expects all private vehicles for sale in the local market to be electric by 2040.
The government has no intention to ban non-electric vehicles, but would use subsidies to promote electrification, he said.
It would start with government-owned vehicles and extend the practice to taxis and other areas, he said.
The government plans to review its road map every five years, as ever-changing technologies warrant a diversified approach, he said.
The council is to release more details this year on how it intends to cut carbon emissions by 2030, Kung said.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
CHIP WAR: The new restrictions are expected to cut off China’s access to Taiwan’s technologies, materials and equipment essential to building AI semiconductors Taiwan has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China’s efforts to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chip technologies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, the latest version on its Web site showed on Saturday. It did not publicly announce the change. Other entities on the list include organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as companies in China, Iran and elsewhere. Local companies need
CRITICISM: It is generally accepted that the Straits Forum is a CCP ‘united front’ platform, and anyone attending should maintain Taiwan’s dignity, the council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.” The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Wang
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
RSS