CNA file photo

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) The National Development Council (NDC), the top economic planning body in Taiwan, has set a goal that 100 percent of the power used in outlying Penghu County will come from green energy by 2025.

To reach the goal, the NDC said the government is planning to create a Penghu energy development company to accelerate the pace of green energy development.

NDC deputy chief Tseng Shu-Cheng (曾旭正) said the government is planning to invest NT$21 billion (US$693 million) in the first stage of the plan from 2017-2020 that will result in 50 percent of Penghu's electricity coming from green energy by 2020.

At present, most of Penghu's power is generated by thermal power plants, with only 8.23 percent of the country's total power coming from wind turbines and solar panels.

The funds over the next four years will be contributed by the central government or the Penghu County government, the Cabinet's Offshore Island Development Fund, and investments by state-owned enterprises, according to Tseng.

Over the longer term, more will be invested so that 100 percent of the county's electricity will come from green energy by 2025, but no details on the funding for that stage of the plan or on the type of investments that will be made were immediately available.

Kuo Fei-yu (郭斐玉), head of the NDC's offshore island development department, said green energy development is just one of the council's development strategies for the outlying county, which relies heavily on tourism.

Kuo said the Executive Yuan aims to build Qimei Township, one of the many islets of the Penghu archipelago, into a model for green energy development in the county.

In addition, the NDC will push for electric motorcycle and bus transportation for Penghu as the government tries to make better use of energy-efficient vehicles there, Kuo said.

The NDC will also strengthen sea transportation links between Penghu and Chiayi County in Taiwan proper and introduce more flights to increase the number of tourists who can visit Penghu, Kuo said.

Other areas where the government will invest more in the county is in sea creature conservation and in assistance to help Penghu upgrade its fishing industry.

According to Kuo, the government will also push for WiFi connectivity in Penghu to make it more attractive to tourists. (Bu Chen Cheng-wei and Frances Huang) 

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