Activists urge TSMC to align RE100 targets in Shalun — Taipei Times
Environmental organizations in Taiwan called on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to align renewable energy-use targets for companies in the Shalun Science Park with the company’s commitments under the RE100 initiative. As reported by Taipei Times, a meeting to determine the scope of the park development project is scheduled at Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment on September 18.
The project site in the Shalun area of Tainan City covers 506.9 hectares, with nearly half of its area designated for industrial use. Activists estimate that the park’s annual electricity consumption could reach 23.7 terawatt-hours, exceeding New Taipei City’s annual consumption of 22.4 terawatt-hours.
RE100 and park targets
Aries Huang, deputy secretary-general of Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, said that in its sustainability report, TSMC committed to raise the share of renewable energy to 60% in 2030 and 100% in 2040 after joining RE100. At the same time, the targets for companies in Shalun are less ambitious: 45% renewable energy by 2040 and 100% by 2050.
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According to Huang, renewable energy accounted for only 11.4% of TSMC facilities’ total electricity consumption in Taiwan last year. She called on the company to use its capital and market influence to increase the supply of green electricity rather than merely consume it.
Proposals for green generation
Chao Chia-wei, director of the Taiwan Climate Action Network, said that if the renewable energy share is 25% rather than the targeted 60% in 2030, the annual shortfall would amount to approximately 7.5 billion kilowatt-hours. In his assessment, this corresponds to the annual output of a large gas-fired generating unit with a capacity of 800 megawatts or more.
Ko Chien-yu, a representative of Climate Era Catalyst, proposed integrating solar generation, energy storage systems and charging infrastructure into residential and commercial building projects, parking lots and other public facilities. The Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau said that TSMC’s targets of 45% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 were set in accordance with strategic environmental assessment rules. After scaling up the advanced integrated circuit manufacturing process, the share of renewable energy is to be increased annually by 25% of the actual electricity consumption in the previous year. The bureau is also to help residents install rooftop solar systems and use a low-carbon smart grid for the park’s public facilities.
