Minster of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) pointed to “green growth” as a major factor in Taiwan’s economic growth and highlighted Taiwan’s achievements in the field at an APEC meeting in San Francisco yesterday.
Speaking at the APEC Energy Security Policy Roundtable, Shih said green growth could be a major engine for the country’s economic growth and emphasized that Taiwan’s technological advances in renewable energy had drawn the interest of other countries at the meeting.
Last year, the country’s green technology competitiveness was ranked sixth globally and second in Asia by the International Institute for Management and Development (IMD), indicating Taiwan’s green technology potential, he said.
Shih said Taiwan’s green energy output value is about NT$390 billion (US$13.24 billion) and the country hopes to increase that amount in the near future.
The nation has also set sustainable energy development goals that aim to cut carbon dioxide emission levels in 2020 to 2005 levels, and to 2000 levels of 210 million tonnes by 2025, Shih said.
Enhancing energy efficiency will become increasingly important and the trend will be to develop renewable energy and expand green energy usage, he said.
Solar energy may be an option, but its efficiency will need to reach 13 percent to reduce the kilowatt-hour price to US$0.40, equal to current electricity prices.
Taiwan is intensifying research and expects to be able to reach the goal soon, Shih said.
Taiwan currently generates 530 megawatts (MW) of power from wind and hopes to generate 3,000MW by 2025, with offshore turbines accounting for 60 percent of the total, he said.
At present, renewable energy accounts for 8.2 percent of Taiwan’s installed electricity generation capacity, but only 4 percent of all power output.
Shih said Taiwan hopes its installed capacity increases to 16 percent by 2030.
The roundtable meeting was focused on two main topics — the impact of energy security on economic growth and technological innovations pushing APEC’s growth.
On the sidelines of the conference, Shih also held talks with Philippine Secretary of Energy Jose Rene Almendras on the two countries’ energy policies.
Taiwan will send a team to the Philippines to learn about that country’s geothermal energy facilities, while the Philippines will send a team to Taiwan to learn more about the nation’s advances in renewable energy technology, Shih said.
Shih said he plans to talk with energy ministers from Vietnam, the US, Indonesia and China in the next few days and will attend this year’s APEC Energy and Transport ministerial meeting today.
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