Renewable energy sources are expected to make up 10 percent of total electricity production this year, Bureau of Energy officials said, buoying hopes that the nation’s green energy transition will get back on track following years of disappointing progress amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, more solar farms than any other year were built in Taiwan, and the pace of construction of offshore wind turbines increased as contractors gained experience, the officials said.
These developments — in conjunction with a projection that the nation’s energy consumption would decrease this year — would put Taiwan within reach of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ revised target of boosting renewable energy sources to 20 percent of electricity production by 2026, they said.
Photo courtesy of Tainan Bureau of Transportation via CNA
The ministry last month extended the deadline for getting 20 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by a year after delays caused by pandemic-related work and supply chain disruptions.
Under the new plan, solar energy production must be increased from a previous target of 10 gigawatts (GW) to 14GW by the end of the year.
The bureau has installed enough solar panels over fish farms to generate 2.5GW of energy, of which 2GW was integrated into the grid, and 0.5GW is to go online in the next three months, they said.
To expand solar energy production this year, the government would seek to install solar panels over fish farms in Tainan and Chiayi County, low-yield agricultural land owned by Taiwan Sugar Corp (台糖) and at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park (彰濱工業區), they said.
A new wind farm off southwestern Changhua County is already online, they said.
By the end of the year, three solar farms off Changhua and the Formosa II wind power project off Miaoli County would also be activated, adding 0.8GW to the nation’s energy supply, they said.
The renewable energy sources last year made up 8.6 percent of the nation’s total electricity production, and no significant problems are foreseen in reaching the 10 percent target set for this year, they said.
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS