Lawmakers and environmentalists yesterday called on the government to tighten rules on minimum green power requirements for large corporations that use a lot of electricity.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs on Aug. 26 announced draft regulations governing electricity consumption, with firms required to install renewable energy facilities if they exceed the limits.
Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance director Kao Ju-ping (高如萍) said that the proposed rules would waive government agencies’ responsibility to lead by example by installing sources of renewable energy.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Kao disagreed with the Bureau of Energy, which said that Article 12 of the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條例) covered government agencies, so they did not need to be covered by the proposed regulations.
Article 12 stipulates that if green energy facilities are feasible, government agencies should prioritize them when constructing new buildings, expanding or renovating existing facilities and public buildings, and engaging in public construction projects.
“The article pales in comparison to the draft act,” Kao said.
Greenpeace Taiwan energy project campaign specialist Alynne Tsai (蔡篤慰) said that the bill should aim to reduce carbon emissions — using 2010 as a baseline — by 45 percent by 2030.
It is ludicrous that the ministry labels firms that use half of the nation’s power supply and produce 30 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions as “socially responsible” when, according to the bill, they would only have to generate less than 1 percent of the renewable energy on the national power grid, which equates to a 0.36 percent reduction in carbon emissions, Tsai said.
Heavy power consumers should aim to have 20 percent of their power consumption from renewable sources, Tsai said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡璧如) said that the draft act narrows eligible corporations from 5,400 to 506, as it identifies heavy power consumers as entities that have at least 5,000 kilowatts (kW) of capacity.
However, the Energy Administration Act (能源管理法), as well as local ordinances in Tainan, Taichung and other places, recognize heavy power consumpers as those that have at least 800kW, Tsai Pi-ru said.
The Executive Yuan lacks the resolve to promote green energy, she said, adding that even 10 percent would be too low a requirement for their renewable energy production.
“The government must stand its ground and call these corporations to account,” Tsai Pi-ru said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said that there was room for improvement, such as gradually expanding the list of corporations that are subject to the regulations and cutting the buffer time from five years to three years.
The first wave of heavy power consumers should install renewable energy sources by 2023, Hung said, adding that the ministry should mull how to encourage them to meet their obligations.
It should also consider a more flexible method to purchase green power generated by them, he said.
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