Taoyuan LNG terminal ‘key to energy plan’
Taoyuan LNG terminal ‘key to energy plan’REFERENDUM RISK: The minister of economic affairs said that there is no plan B for the proposed third LNG terminal if Taipei wants to phase out nuclear power by 2025By Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe government’s energy transition plan depends on the construction of the proposed third liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of Datan Borough (大潭) in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) to increase LNG power generation, Minister of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday. The two existing LNG receiving terminals are already running at full capacity, necessitating the third LNG terminal, Wang said. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) asked Wang whether the ministry has a backup plan if a referendum to block the terminal plan prevails. “The MOEA calls for the swift construction of the third LNG terminal to reduce the amount of coal burned.”“Gas from the third LNG terminal would fulfill the power needs of 10 million Taiwanese and close the power gap in the north of Taiwan,” Wang said. “This would allow us to generate power where it is used, lowering systemic risk.”LNG power generation releases approximately 50 percent less greenhouse gas than coal-fired power generation, and much fewer pollutants.
Source:Taipei Times
March 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
Government must clarify stance on energy, KMT says
Government must clarify stance on energy, KMT saysENERGY COMPOSITION: The government should define ratios for different sources of energy instead of asking local authorities to do it, the KMT saidBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday called on the government to draw up a clearer energy policy. KMT spokeswoman Chiang I-chen (江怡臻) wrote on Facebook that Taiwan faces a choice of whether it is to rely mainly on nuclear energy, or energy generation from coal or natural gas, and the government should offer a clear solution. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should define reasonable ratios for different sources of energy, instead of leaving the problem to local governments, she said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokeswoman Chiang I-chen speaks at a news conference on July 7 last year. As an opposition party, the KMT would respect the will of Taiwanese concerning the fate of the power plant when they cast their vote on Aug. 28, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
Water surcharges no solution: group
Water surcharges no solution: group‘BETTER OPTIONS’: The chairman of the Third Wednesday Club said the measure would add to manufacturers’ costs, contrary to the government’s aim of attracting investmentBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterA major trade group yesterday called on the government to use water surcharges only as a last resort to encourage water conservation, saying that the measure would not resolve ongoing water shortages and would increase corporate operating costs. As Taiwan faces its worst shortage in 56 years, government officials have revived talks about imposing water surcharges on heavy water users — namely manufacturers of electronics, and steel and textile products, as well as dyeing and finishing service providers. 2 contract laptop maker, said that electronics firms, especially semiconductor makers, are heavy water users and are concerned that the shortage might affect their production. Water surcharges would not help increase the nation’s water supply, but would add to manufacturers’ production costs, running contrary to the government’s efforts to attract investment, he said. The trade group also said that it wants to visit Japan and China toward the end of this year.
Source:Taipei Times
March 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
COA says hands tied on stopping drain to China
Xinhua news agency reported that China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) unveiled a policy package to incentivize Taiwanese to invest in Chinese agriculture. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian speaks during a broadcast on Chinese television yesterday. While other government agencies have referred numerous alleged infringements to the council, Chen said that “sufficient evidence” had not been presented for the council to take action. Council personnel and academics participating in the research and development of crucial agricultural technologies must obtain a permit to visit China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council said that the incentives package was part of China’s “united front” efforts aimed at coercing Taiwan into unifying with China.
Source:Taipei Times
March 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
The Liberty Times Editorial: Taiwanese take pride in Tim Wu
People like these are seen to exemplify the emotional connection and the contributions that overseas Taiwanese have made to their birthplace. Tim Wu is equally at home in academia and the real world. In 2014, Tim Wu ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of New York, receiving 40 percent of the popular vote. Tim Wu has said that he inherited his father’s anti-authoritarian ways, and these have greatly informed his connection with politics. In Tim Wu, Taiwanese see an exemplary second-generation Taiwanese who has not forgotten his roots.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
The divine bovine
Photo: Wang Chu-hsiu, Taipei TimesThe Japanese introduced the practice of eating beef to Taiwan after they took over in 1895. On Lunar New Year’s Day worshippers come to the Water Buffalo General Temple to rub the temple’s wooden effigy for good luck. Visitors generally offer water, fruit, flowers, sugarcane and grass for the divine bovine. It typically involves whipping an effigy of an ox or water buffalo to symbolize getting ready for the planting season after a winter of idleness. Yilan City’s Wugu Temple (五穀廟) even brings in a live water buffalo for people to rub while reciting similar sayings as Chiayi’s event.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
Ministry announces Europe scholarship program
Ministry announces Europe scholarship programBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced a Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship program to attract more European students to study Mandarin in the nation and advance bilateral relations. Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei TimesThe umbrella program includes three projects targeting the Czech Republic, Hungary and the UK, Chen said. In the project targeting Hungary, 11 local universities would provide 30 scholarships per year to students from nine Hungarian universities, Chen said. The foreign ministry offers subsidies to local universities based on their scholarship quotas, while they should provide a monthly stipend of at least NT$15,000 to each recipient, Chen said. The ministry plans to extend the program to other European countries, especially those that have established representative offices in Taiwan, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taiwan Cooperative Financial pursues stable profit growth
Taiwan Cooperative Financial pursues stable profit growthBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterState-run Taiwan Cooperative Financial Holding Co (合庫金控) is pursuing stable profit growth this year on the back of economic improvement at home and abroad, although the operating environment remains challenging, the company said yesterday. Vehicles drive past a Taiwan Cooperative Bank branch on Guan Chien Road in Taipei on Feb. 12, 2019. Taiwan Cooperative Financial Holding Co yesterday said it is pursuing stable profit growth this year on the back of economic improvement at home and abroad, although the operating environment remains challenging. It said that its main subsidiary, Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合庫銀行), which generated 85.15 percent of overall earnings last year, would boost reverse mortgage operations and lending to urban renewal projects. Taiwan Cooperative Bank would seek to expand its business overseas, especially in Southeast Asia and the US, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
EDITORIAL: Charge hikers for needless rescues
EDITORIAL: Charge hikers for needless rescuesAs a hiking craze continues to boom in Taiwan, the strain it is putting on the nation’s emergency rescue services has become a serious issue. Some incidents have been serious, and the government and hiking experts have urged people to research, prepare and train before heading into the mountains. The headline of an article in the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in August last year read: “Treating helicopters as taxis,” showing how bad the problem has gotten. The government should perhaps charge for all search-and-rescue missions — not just helicopter rescues — that are clearly due to neglect. Missions typically involve more than 20 personnel, but while no law prevents hikers from calling for help, neither does a law allow departments to charge for rescues.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
Taishin Financial upbeat over income, silent on life deal
Taishin Financial upbeat over income, silent on life dealBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterTaishin Financial Holding Co (台新金控) yesterday gave a rosy outlook for fee income and the interest rate spread this year, but was silent on progress toward acquiring Prudential Life Insurance Co of Taiwan (保德信人壽). Taishin Financial in December last year submitted an application with the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) regarding its bid for the local unit of US-based Prudential Financial Inc. The commission has not yet approved the deal and on Monday said that Taishin Financial had failed to explain the financial resources it would use for the acquisition. The entrance of Taishin Financial Holding Co’s headquarters in Taipei is pictured on Dec. 9, 2019. Taishin Financial has a 22.55 percent stake in CHB.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
ChipMOS expects revenue increase this year
ChipMOS expects revenue increase this yearBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterChipMOS Technologies Inc (南茂科技), a driver IC and memorychip tester and packager, expects revenue to increase by a double-digit percentage this year, fueled by strong demand and price hikes amid a supply crunch, company chairman Cheng Chih-chieh (鄭世杰) told an investors’ teleconference yesterday. “We are quite bullish about ChipMOS’ business outlook this year, as the company is benefiting from improving semiconductor demand and short chip supply,” Cheng said. The driver IC and memorychip tester and packager yesterday said it expects revenue to increase by a double-digit percentage this year, fueled by strong demand and price hikes amid a supply crunch. To cope with strong demand, ChipMOS plans to allocate 20 to 25 percent of its revenue this year to add new capacity, the firm said. ChipMOS said that it expects to distribute a higher cash dividend next year.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
Bus crashes into mountain, killing six
Bus crashes into mountain, killing sixBOROUGH OUTING: The cause of the accident along the Suhua Highway is still being investigated, with the driver saying that it was because the brakes were not workingBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNASix people died yesterday when a tour bus carrying 45 passengers crashed into the side of a mountain along the Suhua Highway. A tour bus is pictured in Yilan County’s Suao Township after it crashed into the side of a mountain along the Suhua Highway yesterday afternoon. Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei TimesThe bus had been manufactured in January 2018 and had passed its regular inspection this year, the Directorate-General of Highways said. New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) Office said that the bus was carrying residents of the district’s Fusing Borough (復興). That includes a basic coverage of NT$2 million in compulsory vehicle liability insurance and NT$2 million in travel agency liability insurance, Insurance Bureau Director-General Shih Chiung-hwa (施瓊華) said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
ACT urges Mailiao Harbor be used as LNG terminal site
ACT urges Mailiao Harbor be used as LNG terminal siteBy Hsieh Chun-lin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerAir Clean Taiwan (ACT) yesterday suggested southern Yunlin County’s Mailiao Harbor (麥寮港) as a potential location for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, saying that it would save algal reefs and 20 million lives in western Taiwan. Addressing Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) in a news conference at the Legislative Yuan, ACT Yunlin representative Lin Fu-yuan (林富源) blasted CPC Corp, Taiwan’s planned location for its third LNG terminal. From left, Lin Fu-yuan, spokesman for Air Clean Taiwan’s (ACT) Yunlin branch, Taisi Village Sixth Naphtha Cracker Pollution and Harm Self-help Association director Hwang Yuan-her, ACT director Jeremy Yang and ACT chairman Yeh Guang-perng hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesHe suggested the Port of Taipei for the Taoyuan terminal and Mailiao Harbor for another site, as the southern port at Mailiao is lying idle and is near an empty plot of land. ACT chairman Yeh Guang-perng (葉光芃) said the agency’s unsolicited upgrade has caused the regions’ leaders to mistakenly believe that they are meeting the standards, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
March 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
Mailiao cannot replace Datan: MOEA
Mailiao cannot replace Datan: MOEA‘IMPOSSIBLE’: An LNG plant and terminal can be built in Mailiao to replace coal-fired plants, but not as a substitute for the Datan project, Wang Mei-hua saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday dismissed reports that the government is planning to replace the third liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal project in Taoyuan with an LNG terminal in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮). “Mailiao is also 180km from the Datan Power Plant where the gas is needed. Photo: CNAWang said the ministry would “heartily approve” the construction of an LNG power plant and receiving terminal at Mailiao, not to replace the third LNG terminal, but to replace coal-fired plants, which release far more pollutants into the air. Taiwanese voters will go to the polls on Aug. 28 to decide the fate of the third LNG terminal. There are to be three other referendums on the ballot, including one calling for the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to be activated.
Source:Taipei Times
March 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
Growth in property market for northern Taiwan remains sluggish, survey shows
Growth in property market for northern Taiwan remains sluggish, survey showsStaff writer, with CNAThe housing market in northern Taiwan remained sluggish last month, a survey released on Thursday last week by Chinese-language My Housing Monthly showed. Under My Housing Monthly’s color-coded system, “red” indicates overheating, “yellow-red” shows fast growth, “green” represents stable growth, “yellow-blue” signals sluggish growth and “blue” indicates contraction. The housing market in northern Taiwan remained sluggish last month, a survey released on Thursday last week by Chinese-language My Housing Monthly showed. Amid cautious sentiment among developers, new residential property listings in northern Taiwan totaled about NT$30 billion (US$1.06 billion) last month, down from about NT$50 billion in January, Ho said. The survey was conducted before the government unveiled its latest measures to rein in speculation in the property market.
Source:Taipei Times
March 15, 2021 15:56 UTC