Taipei, June 1 (CNA) The Cabinet on Thursday approved a four-year plan to promote wind power generation, in the hope of increasing Taiwan's installed wind power capacity to 4.2 gigawatts (GWs) by 2025.
Premier Lin Chuan said developing solar and wind power is crucial to Taiwan's energy transformation and its goal of phasing out nuclear power.
He urged international companies to invest in wind power operations in Taiwan, saying the island has one of the best offshore wind farms in the world and a strong manufacturing base for machinery and electronics devices.
Under the four-year plan, the government will develop wind farms onshore and set up model wind farms in near-shore areas from 2017 to 2020, with the goal of adding 652 megawatts (MWs) to Taiwan's wind power output and raising the country's total installed capacity to 1,334 MWs within four years, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
In the mid- and long-term, secondary wind farms will be developed onshore as well as in coastal and deep-sea areas, the ministry said.
The government's goal is for Taiwan's installed wind power capacity to reach 4.2 GWs by 2025, with electricity generated by wind power reaching 14 billion kilowatt-hours per year, helping to reduce carbon emissions by 7.1 million tons. It is expected to create 10,000 jobs and spur NT$613.5 billion-worth of investment.
