Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) yesterday announced the establishment of a cross-party “Renewable Power Promotion Alliance” to promote the use of renewable energy, which would install solar panels at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei as its first task.
Many businesses and academics have made great strides in promoting renewable energy and in supporting President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policy of a “nuclear-free homeland,” Chen said, calling on lawmakers to support these efforts.
The announcement laid out the alliance’s code of conduct. DPP legislators Su Chih-feng (蘇治芬), Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) and Yang Yao (楊曜) are to serve as deputy directors.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The alliance’s first step is to lease the rooftop of a legislative building on Zhenjiang Street in Taipei to J&V Energy Technology Co, which is to install solar power panels on the rooftop, Chen said.
J&V chairman Jonny Chang (張建偉) said the solar power system is expected to generate 99 kilowatts of electricity, which would be sold to Taiwan Power Co at NT$4.9772 per kilowatt hour, based on a 20-year contract with the utility.
The electricity will be distributed to the legislature first and to other institutions if there is a surplus, Chen said, adding that an inauguration ceremony is to be held for the solar power system on World Environment Day on June 5.
Chen also addressed the dispute over offshore wind farms in Changhua, saying that developers should adopt low-frequency construction measures to avoid hurting Chinese white dolphins.
“I was an environmental activist, so I will not allow problematic projects to carelessly pass,” she said, adding that the alliance would continue to supervise the government and the developers.
Su, a former Yunlin County commissioner, said electricity generation using methane would be another key issue for the alliance.
“Pig farming, with its associated animal waste, has caused great pollution in Yunlin and degraded the quality of local agriculture,” Su said, arguing for the necessity of recycling methane for electricity generation.
“Both the people and the government’s policies are stepping forward, while the law is lagging behind,” Su said. “That is why methane electricity generation has developed so slowly.”
A site for methane electricity generation was categorized as industrial land and farmers had to apply for a change of land category before embarking on any electricity generation projects, Su said, adding that the regulations need to be revised.
In addition to the DPP members, KMT legislators Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) and Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), and New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) are among the alliance’s 27 members.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we