The Executive Yuan approved Oct. 27 a plan to establish a green energy technology park in the Shalun area of southern Taiwan’s Tainan City, marking a significant step in government efforts to foster the renewable power sector and boost innovative development.
“The future is in green technology, and particularly solar and wind power,” Premier Lin Chuan said at the Cabinet meeting. He added that renewable energy is a top priority for the government and this initiative will help pave the way for robust growth in the sector.
Under the plan presented by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the green energy technology park will be built next to the Taiwan High Speed Rail Tainan Station. Estimated to cost NT$10.5 billion (US$331.6 million), the site will span 22.3 hectares and include renewable energy R&D centers, testing sites, as well as conference and exhibition facilities and a new campus for the College of Photonics at Tainan’s National Chiao Tung University.
The park is expected to attract a total of NT$1.2 trillion (US$37.9 billion) in investment and create 100,000 job opportunities by 2025, according to the MOST. Operations at the site will focus on developing solar, biomass and offshore wind power technology; energy storage devices, such as lithium battery, fuel cell and grid energy storage systems; and energy conservation technologies for electric vehicles.
This project forms a key part of the government’s “5+2 innovative industries,” a comprehensive economic revitalization program targeting emerging and high-growth sectors. In addition to green energy, the five industries comprise biotech and pharmaceuticals, national defense, smart machinery, as well as the Internet of Things and other smart technologies, while the two are the promotion of the circular economy as well as a new paradigm for agricultural development.
The park is also expected to help the nation achieve its renewable energy targets. As part of efforts to protect the environment and transition to a nuclear-free homeland, the government plans to raise the percentage of power generated from renewable sources to 20 percent by 2025.
This target is line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, a landmark climate accord concluded last December in the French capital at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Though not a signatory to the convention, Taiwan is committed to tackling climate change and is urging the international community to support its bid for meaningful participation in the UNFCCC and related activities.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan should be included in the UNFCCC as it is an indispensable partner, has set an ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target, is ready and willing to contribute more to the UNFCCC, and its participation is a matter of climate justice. (KWS-E)
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