President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of November 24 with representatives of the Crazy About Green Power Alliance. During the meeting, the president explained the government's current energy policies and its visions in this regard, emphasizing that the development of alternative energies is a policy that the government will continue to implement.
In remarks at the gathering, the president reiterated that "environmental sustainability" is one of the focuses of the "Golden Decade, National Visions" blueprint. The government has set forth a vision that calls for "ensuring nuclear safety, gradually reducing reliance on nuclear power, and creating a green power and low-carbon environment to gradually become a nuclear-free country." In addition, under the three principles of "no power rationing, maintaining reasonable power prices, and fulfilling the nation's pledges to the international community to reduce carbon emissions," the government will continue to actively promote energy conservation and carbon reduction measures, he said.
With regard to the government's policies on nuclear power, the president stated that the government, after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, embarked on an across-the-board examination of the nation's three existing nuclear power plants to determine the mechanisms and ability of the local nuclear power plants to withstand tsunamis, earthquakes, and nuclear accidents. In addition, strengthened safety measures were put in place for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, which is still under construction. President Ma said that he has already chaired 10 briefings on this subject to ensure maximum nuclear power safety. In the future, the lifespans of the existing three nuclear power plants will not be extended when they reach the end of their intended operational life. In addition, if the two generating units at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant are commissioned and operating stably by 2016, the First Nuclear Power Plant will be decommissioned ahead of schedule. In the unlikely event of a major accident, the government will decisively adopt all necessary measures in order to ensure safety. The president added that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have already signed a nuclear safety agreement under which a notification mechanism will be established to inform the other side of any important related issues. This will promote mutual cooperation and help Taiwan avoid any possible harm, he stated.
President Ma expressed his belief that as Taiwan is an island, it cannot follow the model adopted by Germany and turn entirely to alternative means of energy. In fact, while countries throughout the world have put increased emphasis on nuclear power safety since the earthquake that struck Japan in March, not all nations have decided to halt development of nuclear power. President Ma stressed that regardless of the future direction of policy on nuclear power, the government will continue to develop alternative energy sources.
In discussing green energy, President Ma explained to the guests that the government continues working to build 1,000 wind turbines both onshore and offshore, and to bring about the installation of enough solar panels on buildings and other structures to generate electricity sufficient to power one million homes. The president remarked that the stability of alternative energies as well as their relatively high costs will be crucial in determining how development of these energies proceeds. Regardless, the government has the goal of gradually turning Taiwan into a nuclear-free nation. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs is presently formulating an implementation plan and supplementary measures for green power prices. In the future, without amending any laws and acting in compliance with the current provisions of the Renewable Energy Development Act, we will put high priority on the development of plans for the Taiwan Power Company to allow consumers to decide whether they want to purchase renewable power at a slightly higher fee than that charged for conventional power. As for the reasonable pricing of green energy, the renewable power wholesale price released by the government each year could be used as reference. In addition, the proceeds from this would be used to promote further development of renewable energy sources, he said.
President Ma stated that after he took office in May 2008 he approved the Framework of Taiwan's Sustainable Energy Policy and issued instructions to establish the Executive Yuan's Committee on Energy Conservation and GHGs Emission Reduction, which has formulated the General Plan for National Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction. A total of 10 benchmark plans and 35 benchmark projects are set out under the framework. The president noted that active steps are being taken at the Presidential Building to conserve electricity, water, gasoline, and paper. In the future, he said, the government will continue working to secure passage of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act and the Energy Tax Act in order to fulfill a promise he made four years ago during his campaign for the presidency, and to fulfill the pledge made to the international community.
The delegation from the Crazy About Green Power Alliance included writers Shi Jiqing (施寄青) and Chen Ruoxi (陳若曦), New Taiwan Foundation Executive Director Huang Hui-chun (黃惠君), Hsuan Chuang University Department of Law Director Georg Gesk (葛祥林), and New Energy Association of Taiwan Standing Director Wang Yuni (王雲怡). The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Environmental Protection Administration Minister Stephen Shu-hung Shen (沈世宏), Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Hwang Jung-chiou (黃重球), and the Ministry of Economic Affair's Bureau of Energy Director General Jerry J. R. Ou (歐嘉瑞) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Bao-guey (劉寶貴).