Delta chief lashes out at slow action on green tech bills

The chairman of a leading electronics company has accused Taiwan government of dragging its feet in pushing bills to promote innovative green technology. Founder and Chairman of Delta Electronics Inc., Bruce Cheng, questioned the delay in the approval of renewable energy, natural resource management, energy taxation and carbon dioxide reduction policies while “gambling bills took no time to pass at the Legislative Yuan.” In response, Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming said he could not comment on any issue that is currently under review in the legislature. Cheng criticized the government’s energy policy, saying he found it hard to understand how Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower,) was able to buy electricity for as little as NT$1.70 (US$0.05) per kilowatt hour. Cheng said that the ministry should allow state-run CPC Corp. Taiwan to gradually revert to letting market mechanisms determine domestic oil prices rather than continue selling gasoline and diesel at below-market prices and absorbing the losses. Once oil prices become unbearable, he said, the public would find ways to save money such as taking mass transportation, driving less, or looking into alternative energy vehicles. (April 9, 2009)