MOEA willing to help build green power plants overseas

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) The Ministry of Economic Affairs is considering building green power plants in neighboring countries and bringing the electricity back to Taiwan to meet a desperate need for clean energy at home, Economic Affairs Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show, Kuo said it was an urgent task for local companies to procure green energy to meet their 2030 carbon emissions goals.

Given that it is extremely difficult to find suitable locations across Taiwan for new power plants, the MOEA is willing to help power-hungry companies seek suitable locations abroad as the quickest and most feasible way to source renewable energy for them, he said.

Kuo said the MOEA is looking for possibilities in the Philippines and Japan with the help of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene.

It would consider transferring the electricity generated in those countries back to Taiwan through undersea cable or shipping it to Taiwan by cargo vessel, said Kuo, who offered few details on how such projects would work or be financed.

He did say they would not necessarily be handled by state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. Instead, the ministry could work with the companies themselves to build new clean energy power plants, with solar, wind and geothermal power installations all being assessed.

Kuo said such projects will help Taiwanese businesses strengthen their international competitiveness and build up their presences in overseas markets.