TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Opposition parties raised concerns on Wednesday (Oct. 16) about Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei’s (郭智輝) proposal to import green energy from neighboring countries.
During the founding banquet for the Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank, Kuo suggested that Taiwan could follow Singapore’s model of purchasing green energy from Australia through undersea cables or other methods. He suggested the government could support green energy projects in the Philippines to transport that power back to Taiwan, per CNA.
Kuo later acknowledged that he had introduced the proposal prematurely and promised to conduct a feasibility study within five months. During the question session, Kuomintang Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) highlighted a financial loss of NT$40 billion (US$1.24 billion) for annual domestic power transportation, emphasizing the costs associated with an undersea cable from the Philippines.
In response, Kuo pointed out that power loss for undersea cables would be a maximum of 33%, and that funding could involve foreign investors. Taipower Chair Tsung Wen-sheng (曾文生) said long-range undersea cables would use direct current instead of alternating current for domestic transport, resulting in a loss of around 50% compared to domestic transportation.
He added the costs for undersea power transportation are decreasing.
Taiwan People’s Party Caucus Leader Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) noted that a Taiwanese firm, J&V Energy Technology, announced a joint venture with the Filipino firm SolarNRG in June to establish a solar power company in the Philippines. Huang questioned the timing of Kuo’s proposal and J&V Energy Technology’s business venture, per CNA.
Huang also noted that renewable energy is expected to account for 20% of Taiwan's overall power generation by November 2026 and 30% by 2030. He characterized the roadmap as overly optimistic, suggesting that Kuo would have rejected a similar plan during his time as a private business owner.
TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷) also chimed in, questioning the necessity of purchasing electricity from abroad when renewable energy generation already constitutes 30% of Taiwan’s power supply by 2030.