Here's a summary of what the October 16, 2024 coverage ("Outsourcing Green Energy, What's Up Taiwan – News at 14:00") was about, plus some of the debate, challenges, and implications. If you want, I can also pull up video clips or transcripts.

🇹🇼 What's Going On: Taiwan Considers Outsourcing Green Energy

Proposal by the Economics Minister

Taiwan's Economic Affairs Minister Kuo Jyh-huei floated an idea: build renewable (green) energy power plants in nearby countries—specifically Japan and the Philippines—and import that green energy back to Taiwan.
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The types of green energy under consideration are solar, wind, and geothermal.
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Motivation

Domestic resistance: local governments and residents often oppose new renewable-power infrastructure (plants, solar/wind farms) in Taiwan, which slows down projects.
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Taiwan has pledged to reduce carbon emissions and reach net-zero by 2050. The demand for green power is rising, especially among manufacturers and industry.
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There's a precedent: Singapore is planning to import electricity from Australia, which is much farther away. So, Taiwan sees building power plants in the Philippines (just ~300 km away) as plausible.
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⚠️ Concerns & Pushback

Cost & Feasibility

Opposition legislators (from parties like the KMT and TPP) question how expensive this could be, especially the infrastructure needed, like undersea or submarine cables, power loss during transmission, etc.
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For instance, an undersea cable from the Philippines to Taiwan may incur significant losses in transmission (one source notes up to 33% loss; others calculate potentially more depending on alternating current vs direct current lines).
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Timing & Prematurity

Some argue that the proposal may be premature: at this stage, Taiwan doesn't yet have a detailed plan or study finalized. Minister Kuo acknowledged this and promised a feasibility study within five months.
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Concerns that pushing for imported green energy might distract from improving local renewable installations and infrastructure (solar, wind etc.), which are behind schedule.
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Energy Losses & Technical Challenges

Undersea cables lose power over long distances. The form of transmission (AC vs DC) matters.
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There are questions about who builds such overseas plants (state vs private sector), who pays, how to ensure reliability, and what happens in times of geopolitical or climate risk.
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Political / Ethical Questions

Some opposition voices worry that establishing power plants abroad could raise issues of environmental justice for host countries. Also, there are concerns about transparency, costs, and whether this shifts burden away from domestic responsibilities.
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🔍 Implications & What Taiwan Needs to Do

Feasibility Studies & Engineering Work: Taiwan needs solid work on cost, transmission loss, reliability, and environmental impacts.
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Infrastructure Development: For example undersea/submarine power cables, or other delivery mechanisms for power imports. These require big capital, technology, and regulatory alignment.
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Domestic vs Foreign Trade-Offs: Balancing building more green plants within Taiwan (overcoming local resistance) vs outsourcing vs import dependency.

Policy & Regulatory Clarity: Legislation or regulations to govern foreign green power sourcing, contracts, pricing, environmental regulation overseas, import rules.

Risk Management: Geopolitical risks, energy security (if imported power is disrupted), and ensuring the costs are not higher long-term.

If you want, I can get you the full transcript of that News at 14:00 piece, or do a deep-dive on what experts are saying about whether this plan makes sense (from engineering, economics, environmental standpoints). Do you prefer that?

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