RENEWABLES: The minister of economic affairs called on developers to improve communication to combat public perception that wind energy is expensive and unreliable

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 04, 2019
By: Ted Chen  /  Staff reporter

Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) yesterday urged offshore wind energy companies to improve their communication with the public to dispel doubts about the renewable technology amid growing disappointment among some developers.

Six offshore wind projects developed by Orsted A/S, Hai Long Offshore Wind (海龍), a joint venture by Northland Power Inc and Yushan Energy Co (玉山能源), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and China Steel Corp (中鋼) missed Wednesday’s deadline to secure power purchase agreements at last year’s feed-in tariff (FIT) rate of NT$5.8498 per kilowatt-hour as a proposed cut to NT$5.106 for the next 20 year looms.

All stakeholders of offshore wind projects must help in combating the smear campaign against offshore wind energy waged by detractors of the renewable energy, Shen told reporters following a meeting with developers.

Critics have continued to paint offshore wind energy as expensive and unreliable, and claim that the government’s perceivably generous purchasing price would become a tremendous burden for Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]