Taipei:President Lai Ching-te emphasized the importance of emissions reductions for Taiwan's future business competitiveness, stating that companies' ability to cut emissions will significantly impact their future orders. He pledged financial and policy support for businesses transitioning to greener practices.
According to Focus Taiwan, President Lai made these remarks at the opening of the Energy Taiwan and Net-Zero Taiwan exhibitions. He highlighted that international supply chains are imposing stricter emissions requirements, necessitating businesses to incorporate net-zero goals into their operations.
Lai outlined government strategies to support this transition, including using carbon fee revenue to assist industries in adopting green technologies and funding technological innovations. Taiwan recently completed its first round of carbon fee declarations and payments, effectively establishing a price on emissions.
Further measures include the Taiwan Green Growth Fund, which aims to attract private investment into net-zero industries. The government plans to invest an additional NT$100 billion (US$3.11 billion) over eight years to aid micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in pursuing digital and net-zero transitions.
The president reiterated Taiwan's targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent, plus or minus two percentage points, by 2030, and by 38 percent, with the same margin, by 2035, from 2005 levels. He also stressed the importance of reliable power supplies as artificial intelligence increases electricity demand.
Taiwan's renewable energy capacity has grown from 4.7 gigawatts in 2016 to 25 gigawatts, with its cumulative offshore wind capacity ranking fifth globally. The government plans to continue developing a mix of renewable sources, energy storage, conservation, and grid resilience.
TAITRA Chairman Huang Chih-fang emphasized the link between energy supply and technological change, noting the critical role of energy in sustaining AI-driven transformations. Lucas Lin, chairperson of SEMI's Green Energy and Sustainability Alliance, highlighted the need for companies to align their production and supply-chain decisions with customers' renewable energy commitments, viewing the net-zero transition as a means for industrial advancement.
The exhibitions, organized by TAITRA and the alliance, feature over 400 companies and run through Friday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, showcasing renewable energy, energy storage, efficiency, carbon management, and green finance solutions.
