Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) repeated yesterday its almost annual threat of possible increases in power prices, saying revenue targets for 2001 would be unattainable due to high oil prices and losses resulting from halted construction on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四).
Taipower Chairman Hsi Shih-chi (
Taipower's revenue estimates for this year will be the lowest in six years, Hsi said, blaming the poor performance on high oil prices, which have meant higher operating costs for both Taipower's plants and those of independent power producers.
The independent producers must sign 25-year power purchase agreements with state-run Taipower, who while selling power to end users at fixed prices must buy the power at a rate determined by the cost of fuel.
"Due to the rigid pricing system, Taipower is unable to pass on its increased costs to consumers," one analyst said.
Another major factor behind possible price hikes cited by Hsi was the around NT$3.48 billion in losses from the 101-day suspension of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.
Taipower has threatened for years that prices would have to be raised due to mounting costs but strong opposition in the legislature to any power price hike has kept average prices fixed.
Taipower has not raised prices in 18 years, and according to one analyst, isn't likely to do so this year.
"The legislature will hold elections at the end of the year, which means no lawmaker is going to want to see prices rise," said the analyst who requested anonymity.
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
Renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of abating yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters. Reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds of outgoing, indirect fire yesterday. About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand and about 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border provinces, said Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the military. Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and closed hundreds of schools, the Thai Ministry of Defense said. Thailand’s military announced that
RSS