[Energy Doppelganger Visits Taiwan] (Part 2) Taiwan Power Company "Offshore Wind Power is a Heaven-Sent Opportunity"

Chai Zimeng, Vice President of Taiwan Power Company, Interview
"Geographical Advantages Are Sufficient"

Chaizemeng, Vice President of Taiwan Power Company, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 20th at the Taiwan Power Company conference room in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo by Kang Hee-jong

"The Taiwan Strait, located between the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan and mainland China, is geographically a region with strong winds. We cannot let this opportunity given by nature go to waste."

On the 20th of last month, Chai Zimeng, Vice President of Taiwan Power Company, explained the strengths of Taiwan's offshore wind power in an interview with Asia Economy. The Central Mountain Range, also called the Taiwan Mountain Range, runs through the center of Taiwan Island. Offshore wind power projects in Taiwan are mainly carried out along the west coast, where the winds are particularly strong due to the influence of the Central Mountain Range.

Taiwan Island is small in area and has many mountainous regions, making it difficult to expand solar power. The rapid growth in solar power adoption has recently slowed down. Vice President Chai said, "We plan to expand solar power by utilizing coastal reservoirs, fish farms, building roofs, and rooftops." Recently, rooftop solar power installations have been progressing smoothly. Solar power is also being actively increased in areas unsuitable for farmland or regions experiencing ground subsidence.

Since August last year, Taiwan Power Company has suspended power supply approvals for data centers over 5 MW in the northern Taoyuan area due to power shortages. Vice President Chai explained, "Overall, Taiwan has sufficient power supply, but some northern areas like Taipei face shortages compared to demand."

He added, "The graphics processing units (GPUs) required for artificial intelligence (AI) training do not consume much power themselves, so there are no restrictions on power supply for AI companies." Only internet data centers (IDCs), which consume large amounts of power, are being directed to the power-rich central and southern regions.

Recently in Taiwan, the issue of electricity rate hikes by Taiwan Power Company has become a hot topic. Despite the sharp increase in fuel costs due to the Russia-Ukraine war, electricity rates have been frozen, resulting in cumulative losses reaching 420 billion New Taiwan Dollars by the end of 2024.

Moreover, the Legislative Yuan (Parliament) cut the subsidy budget for Taiwan Power by 100 billion New Taiwan Dollars. Vice President Chai said, "It is difficult to sustain operations without government subsidies."