Taiwan could import green power from Japan or Philippines
Comments from minister come as Taiwan stumbles in developing its offshore wind sector, with sky-high power prices putting off potential buyers
Inspired by a planned power link between Australia and Singapore, Taiwan is now eyeing importing renewable energy from Japan or the Philippines, with a minister claiming this would be cheaper than homegrown green power.
Despite the challenges in importing power to Taiwan, its Minister of Economics Affairs JW Kuo told reporters today he believes this would still be cheaper than renewable energy generated on the island.
Power could be imported back through a submarine cable, he said, citing a plan to build a 4,300km subsea interconnector that would see renewable energy generated in the Australian outback piped to Singapore.
The distance between those countries is far longer than the roughly 300km between Taiwan and the Philippines’ northern island of Luzon, he said.
His comments come as Taiwan is currently struggling with the development of its offshore wind sector.
Countries and developers are meanwhile becoming increasingly ambitious in their plans for building subsea power links as a means of generating cheap green energy in one region and importing it to another.
Building a subsea interconnector to Taiwan would bring with it security concerns given its potential vulnerability to attack in the context of tensions with nearby China.