The number of wind turbines along the west coast is now more than 100 and the renewable energy generated by these units should be sufficient to prevent emissions of 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, energy officials said yesterday.
During a ceremony at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park to promote the use and efficiency of wind power, officials from the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said the 103 giant wind turbines located at 13 wind farms along the west coast can generate 420 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year -- enough energy to power as many as 105,000 households.
The windmills were established by Taiwan Power (Taipower), the private-run Tien-Lung Paper and InfraVest Wind Power Group, a German company that entered the market in 2000 as the first wind farm builder in Taiwan.
PHOTO: CNA
Officials said that more windmills are under construction in western coastal areas and Penghu, with an additional total capacity of 500 megawatts.
Each unit will cost at least NT$100 million (US$3 million) to build.
They said the coastal areas are ideal for the development of wind power, as they enjoy six months of strong northwesterly winds every year, with an average wind speed of 5 meters per second to 6 meters per second.
The Bureau of Energy has set the target of generating enough renewable energy to meet 10 percent of the country's electricity needs by 2010, with wind power making up 80 percent of the renewable energy.
Taipower, the sole electricity supplier in the country, began to harness wind energy in 2002 and plans to establish 200 wind turbines in Taiwan proper and Penghu by 2010.
Taipower's long-term wind power development plant will build an additional 546 wind turbines between 2010 and 2020 in shallow waters off the west coast and Penghu, with a total capacity of 1,980 megawatts.
The estimated cost for the wind turbines is NT$200 million each.
Out of the 546 windmills, 176 will be built off Penghu and the electricity generated by these units will be relayed to Taiwan through a 40km-long undersea cable.
The other 370 units will be established 10km to 15km off the coast of Changhua and Yunlin counties, Taipower said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
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
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious