Premier William Lai, who heads Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, declared that his government is prepared to implement renewable energy policies and tackle the worsening air pollution problem on the island. Speaking at a forum on green economy and renewable energies held in Taipei on December 13, Premier Lai said that the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks have been established. Furthermore, the conditions are ripe for developing and investing in new initiatives. Premier Lai now said the remaining factor that will be needed to reduce air pollution on a yearly basis is the support from the public.
During his opening speech at the beginning of the forum, Premier Lai pointed out that disasters at nuclear power plants such as Chernobyl in Russia and Fukushima Daichii in Japan have spurred people living in the affected regions to transition to using cleaner and safer renewable energies. At the same time, these events have also made a deep and lasting impression on the Taiwan’s public. Premier Lai emphasized that his government has ushered a new phase in the transformation of the island’s energy supply by amending the Electricity Act to include nuclear power phase-out by 2025 and establishing a legal basis for privately owned power plants.
Premier Lai also added that the government will eliminate the use of nuclear power while stabilizing the island’s electricity supply and solving the growing smog problem. With respect to ensuring stability in electricity supply, his government plans to diversify power generation to include renewable sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energies. Currently, there are already concrete policies that are being carried out. Government agencies such as Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) and the Bureau of Energy are also looking into overcome challenges in establishing renewable generation such as transmission and grid connection.
In terms of improving air quality, steps are taken to mitigate non-renewable (fuel-fire) power plants as a major source of air pollution. Measures that are being implemented include deploying supercritical generators, installing pollution-control equipment, and using low-sulfur coal.
At the same time, the government is loosening the regulations related to insurance funds with the expectation that this liberalization of investments will raise NT$5 billion in capital for special projects. Taiwan is also establishing a green finance framework under which banks will provide NT$1.6 trillion in funding for startups in the green economy sector.
As for working with the local governments to change the Air Pollution Control Act, Premier Lai stated that municipal and county administrations in principle support the proposed amendments. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Administration is accepting all suggestions and will present them to the Executive Yuan for considerations. By cooperating closely with the local governments and mobilizing the public, Premier Lai believes that Taiwan’s air pollution problem will be solved over the next several years.
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