Taipei, March 30 (CNA) Taiwan's government said Wednesday it will aim to increase the share of renewables in the country's electricity supply to 60-70 percent by 2050 from the current single-digit level, as part of its efforts to achieve net zero missions.
The National Development Council (NDC), the Cabinet's policy-planning body, unveiled at a press conference Wednesday a road map for Taiwan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, by developing an economy that either emits no greenhouse gases or offsets its emissions.
According to the proposal, Taiwan will strive to significantly boost the share of alternative energy, such as solar and wind power, in the country's energy supply while greatly reducing coal-fired power and phasing out nuclear power.
To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the NDC set a goal of an electricity mix of 60 percent-70 percent renewables, 9 percent-12 percent hydrogen energy, and 1 percent hydropower.
In addition, coal-fired power plants and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) will account for a combined 20 percent-27 percent of the country's power generation.
At the same time, the NDC estimates that demand for electricity in Taiwan will increase 2 percent per year with a deviation of 0.5 percent because of continued economic growth and transition toward electrification, reaching up to 573,100 gigawatt hours of electricity in 2050, compared to 290,900 gigawatt hours generated in 2021.
According to the latest data from the Bureau of Energy, of the 280,100 gigawatt hours of electricity generated in Taiwan in 2020, only 5.5 percent was from renewables. At the same time, 44.9 percent was from coal, 35.7 percent was from natural gas, and 11.2 percent was from nuclear power.
The government had planned for renewable energy to account for 20 percent of Taiwan's electricity supply by 2025, though those plans have fallen behind schedule.
At the press conference, Deputy Economic Minister Lin Chuan-neng (林全能) said the government would "make its best efforts" to push for the development of renewables, referring mainly to solar power and offshore wind power.
For solar power, the NDC's plan aims to deploy 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, up from 7,700 megawatts of accumulated solar power capacity at the end of 2021, and it is hoped to expand that capacity to 40 GW-80 GW by 2050.
Meanwhile, the goal for wind power capacity is set at 5.6 GW by 2025, compared to 1,033 megawatts at the end of 2021, and 40 GW-55 GW by 2050.
The government will also increase its support for the development of hydrogen power in Taiwan, Lin said, adding that the ministry believes the emerging technology could start generating electricity in Taiwan by 2040.
At the moment, state-owned companies such as Taiwan Power are engaged in the research and development of hydrogen power while seeking cooperation with other countries such as Japan and Australia, Lin added.
Asked if he was optimistic about hitting the renewables targets, Lin did not answer the question directly, saying only that the government would do everything in its power to hit the targets.
Similarly, NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said achieving net-zero emissions would take the effort of both public and private sectors and different generations. "No matter what, this is something we have to do. What is at stake is how best to do it."
The 2050 goal of net zero emissions is critical for fighting climate change and building a more sustainable environment, Kung said.
He added it would also enable Taiwanese companies to become more competitive in global markets as foreign governments and businesses have begun adopting a similar approach.
The NDC's proposal came one year after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) pledged that Taiwan would join over 120 countries around the world in aiming for net zero emissions by 2050.
The government plans to invest approximately NT$900 billion (US$31.49 billion) in carrying out the plan from 2022-2030.
Kung also said the government would announce a revised carbon emissions reduction goal by the end of 2022. Currently, Taiwan aims to reduce carbon emission levels to 20 percent below that of 2005 by 2030.
