TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Tsai administration continues to make progress toward the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, with a number of green energy projects expected to come online later this year.

For the full year, six major photovoltaic projects are expected to be completed, and four offshore wind farms will be connected to the power grid, adding a total capacity of 2GW, or the equivalent to two nuclear reactors, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Bureau of Energy, per CNA.

The new capacity from renewables is coming at an opportune time as Taiwan’s No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant, located in Wanli, New Taipei City, will begin the process of decommissioning in March. This move is part of MOEA's 2025 target power generation ratio which is described as "532", 50% natural gas, 30% coal, 20% renewable energy.

Taipower said last year renewable energy generated 21.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 8.6% of the total power generation. With an increase in offshore wind turbines connected to the grid, it is estimated that new capacity will increase the proportion of renewable energy to 10%.

According to the government's plan, the cumulative capacity targets for offshore wind power and solar by the end of this year are 4.14GW and 14GW, respectively.

Regarding offshore wind power, wind farms to be grid-connected in 2023 include 57 wind turbines in Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ Changfang and Sidao Wind Farms, 31 wind turbines in Orsted’s Changhua Southeast and Southwest Phase 1 Wind Farms, which were originally scheduled to be completed last year. Additionally, 64 wind turbines associated with Skyborne Renewable Energy will see new installed capacity reach 1.3GW.

Renewables accounted for 20% of Taiwan's electricity demand in December, due to decreased use of air conditioning and decreased energy demand from factories. Later this year, as more offshore wind turbines connect to the grid, Taipower believes the penetration rate of renewable energy could reach 30% in autumn and winter.

Additionally, Taipower continues to operate two major hydropower systems, Dajia River Hydro Power Plant (大甲溪) and Mingtan Hydro Power Plant (明潭) which focus on generating electricity at night, with the total power supply capacity exceeding four million kilowatts, which plays an important role in stabilizing nighttime peak usage.