Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Meihua delivered a business report to the Legislative Yuan's Economic Affairs Committee yesterday (5th). Regarding power supply planning, Wang Meihua stated that the Ministry of Economic Affairs continues to promote renewable energy development, with a goal of 29GW of renewable energy installation capacity by 2025, and will also build 1GW of new energy storage equipment. Regarding existing power plants, in addition to the scheduled decommissioning of nuclear power plants, the Ministry of Economic Affairs is also evaluating the conversion of decommissioned coal-fired units into biomass units, with the Xingda Power Plant as a demonstration.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs aims to achieve 20% renewable energy share in electricity generation by 2026
Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Meihua delivered a business report yesterday at the Legislative Yuan's Economic Affairs Committee. In response to the power supply issue that is of concern to the public, Wang Meihua stated that in order to optimize the domestic investment environment and continue to promote renewable energy, gas-fired power generation, and energy storage facilities to ensure stable power supply, the goal is to add a net 3GW of power supply capacity by the end of 2025.
Many legislators questioned the delay in the "532 Policy". Wang Meihua said that due to the continuous increase in the denominator of electricity consumption in recent years and problems with offshore wind power contracts, the original goal of renewable energy power generation accounting for 20% in 2025 is estimated to be delayed until October 2026.
However, Wang Meihua emphasized that renewable energy installations and power generation continue to increase. The goal is to reach 29GW of renewable energy capacity by 2025, including 20GW of photovoltaic capacity, 5.6GW of offshore wind power, and 1GW of energy storage. Starting in 2026, the photovoltaic capacity will be increased by more than 2GW annually, continuing the expansion.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, as of the end of August, renewable energy installations totaled 12,799 MW (approximately 12.8 GW), including approximately 8,914 MW of solar photovoltaic power, 1,062 MW of wind power, 2,093 MW of hydropower, 5 MW of geothermal power, and 723 MW of biomass energy.
Wang Meihua: Nuclear power will absolutely be decommissioned as scheduled, and low-carbon energy will fill the electricity gap
A KMT legislator questioned whether the company would consider extending the service life of Nuclear Power Plant No. 2 and using nuclear power to make up for the shortfall if renewable energy generation doesn't reach 20% by 2025. Wang Meihua emphatically emphasized that the issue with Nuclear Power Plant No. 2 isn't whether to extend its service life, but rather that its fuel pool is full, with fuel rods unable to be removed and dry storage facilities also facing difficulties. "It will definitely be decommissioned as scheduled next year," she said.
Wang Meihua further explained that renewable energy is projected to account for approximately 15% of electricity generation by 2025, with the shortfall to be supplemented by gas-fired power generation. Furthermore, to meet international carbon reduction demands, low-carbon power generation will continue to increase. In addition to wind and solar power, the government is currently evaluating converting retired coal-fired power plants into biomass power plants. Using the Xingda Power Plant as a demonstration, the plan is to retrofit older units to burn biomass pellets, which can reduce carbon emissions. This has been demonstrated internationally.
According to Taipower's plan, the Xingda Power Plant is currently constructing three gas-fired combined cycle units. If the new generating units can operate stably, the old coal-fired units will be gradually decommissioned starting from 2023.
State-owned enterprises take the lead in developing hydrogen energy and carbon capture technologies
Wang Meihua stated that to accelerate the path to net zero, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has established a "Hydrogen Energy Promotion Task Force" and is actively introducing new technologies. This task force will leverage demonstrations from state-owned enterprises. For example, Taipower has partnered with foreign companies to promote the use of zero-carbon fuels in its coal-fired power plants. CPC Corporation also aims to become a hydrogen supplier, with plans to complete the construction of its first mobile hydrogen refueling station by the end of next year.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/235146)
