Taiwan this week passed new legislation to deregulate the electricity market and boost the uptake of clean energy. But do the changes go far enough?
The News Lens
Date: 2017/01/13
By: Rosemary Chen
Taiwan’s attempt to boost the renewable energy sector may be hindered by strict reserve requirements
Photo Credit: Chuck Coker @ Flickr CC By ND 2.0
placed on independent power providers, critics say.
Taiwan’s parliament, the Legislative Yuan, this week passed a swathe of changes to its Electricity Act. One of the main components of the new amendments is to enable renewable energy companies to sell electricity directly to consumers. This will potentially be a big change for Taiwan’s electricity market, which has long been dominated by fossil fuel and nuclear generation supplied by state-owned monopoly Taipower, and has been welcomed by local environmentalists.
However, one article in the new law states, “In order to maintain the stability and safety of electricity supply, the energy providing company must be equipped with appropriate energy reserves.” Environmental groups fear that smaller-scale renewable energy companies will not be able to meet the requirements nor compete with larger corporations. [FULL STORY]
