At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Lai Ching-te said the government is committed to making Taiwan a global model for the development of offshore wind power. He directed government agencies to actively support the nation's energy policy and help developers expedite the construction of wind farms. Application procedures should be streamlined and review processes conducted in parallel to ensure all associated tasks are completed swiftly and efficiently.
As part of the effort to transform Taiwan into a green energy "silicon island" and a nuclear-free country, the Executive Yuan is aggressively promoting a raft of energy transformation projects including the Four-year Wind Power Promotion Plan. The plan initially aimed to install 3 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power by 2025, but that target has been raised to 5.5 GW by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in consideration of energy security and industrial development needs. This will speed Taiwan toward its objective of generating 20 percent of its power from renewable sources, Premier Lai said.
With international heavyweights lining up to invest in prospective wind farm sites, the MOEA should conduct thorough selection and bidding processes and ensure that the allocation mechanism is fair, equitable and transparent, the premier said. The ministry should also continue matching international developers to domestic operators to help Taiwan build a self-sufficient supply chain for the offshore wind power industry. The Taiwan Power Co. was also asked to step up its efforts and deliver all related power grid projects on time and to quality requirements.