The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday presented its vision of a national energy program, setting a target of renewable energy accounting for 20 percent of the nation’s power source by 2025.
“Taiwan has abundant sources of renewable energy, but we utilize too little of it,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said at a news briefing.
Su outlined the DPP’s “New Green Policy” by listing the nation’s rich sources of renewable energy: wind power, solar power, geothermal energy, biomass energy and ocean power, which includes tidal energy and thermal energy conversion using seawater temperature variations.
Photo: CNA
Su promoted what he called the “25-20-20 Program”: By 2025, Taiwan should derive 20 percent of its national power generation from the aforementioned renewable energy sources, and the green energy industry should create 200,000 “green collar” jobs.
“We can reach this target. It is only a matter of whether we do it or not,” he said. “This energy policy will also help Taiwan realize its goal of a nuclear-free homeland.”
Su said that the nation’s energy predicament can be attributed to the government’s wrongheaded policies, resulting in a high dependency on energy imports, low utilization rates, inefficient supply, low usage of renewable energy and conflicts among various energy programs.
He said that the DPP’s renewable energy policy is not merely about opposition to nuclear power, but “it is a new strategic thinking to transform Taiwan’s green economy, by taking up green energy to drive industries and boost employment, while achieving new ways of living that is green, sustainable and safe.”
To realize the goal of a nuclear-free homeland, Su said that construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) should stop immediately, and the service life of the three existing nuclear plants should not be extended.
“Strict monitoring of nuclear plant safety should be implemented. We must also have comprehensive reviews of the emergency response mechanisms, in the event of an emergency at the nuclear power plants,” he added.
Reforms are needed for the nation’s energy industry, and the DPP aims to break down the current market monopoly in the petroleum and electricity sectors, he said.
“We shall build up strong and independent mechanisms to supervise and inspect these two sectors. A new energy supply chain system is needed to ensure fair access and justice for all levels of society, and to give priority to the underprivileged,” he said.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS