Environmental groups yesterday voiced qualified support for an increase in electricity rates, saying that a price hike could boost the energy efficiency of Taiwanese industries and help them achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Electricity rates must reflect real energy costs, a coalition of 12 groups — including the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance, Citizens of the Earth, Taiwan, and the Taiwan Climate Action Network — said in a joint statement before the government announced rate hikes later in the day.
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) earlier that day started the review process for a proposed 15 percent increase in industrial electricity prices and a 10 percent increase in residential electricity prices.
Photo: CNA
Taipower has incurred accumulated losses of NT$380 billion (US$11.89 billion) in the past two years, due largely to soaring gas and oil prices amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, they said.
The International Energy Agency in 2022 reported that the various forms of subsidies Taiwan provided related to fossil energy were worth five times more than the previous year.
A continued failure to adjust electricity prices in these circumstances would negatively affect Taiwan’s push to reach net zero emmissions, its fight against air pollution and the financial viability of Taipower, the groups added.
“Certain individuals have repeatedly made misleading statements that blame the anti-nuclear power movement and renewables for the [proposed] electricity rate hike,” they said. “These statements misguide the public and prevent constructive policy discussions.”
Claims from Taiwanese industries that increased electricity rates would cause them to relocate are exaggerated, as Taiwan boasted the world’s third-lowest industrial electricity prices in 2022, behind South Korea and China, they said.
Electric bills account for just 2.1 percent of the Taiwanese manufacturing sector’s total business expenditures, meaning the proposed hike would increase production costs by 0.9 percent, the groups added.
“We urge large enterprises to review and improve the energy efficiency of their operations instead of obsessing over electricity prices, which would contribute to Taiwan’s transformation to a net zero economy,” they said.
The government should be prepared to deal with the effects of higher residential electricity costs on low-income families and the price of necessities, and strengthen progressive electricity purchasing to counter inequality, the groups said.
Subsidies for energy-efficient household appliances, smart electricity meters and heat-regulating architecture should be utilized to change the public’s energy consumption patterns, they added.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
RSS