News&Market interviewing Prof. Tai of CIRES

　　According to the office of Legislator Chen Jiao-Hua, solar power developers have obtained an intention letter (also known as a "land consent letter") from the National Property Administration (NPA) and Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar) to jointly develop land in Fonglin Township, Hualien County. The total area being integrated for development is nearly 2,000 hectares, almost one-sixth of the entire township’s area. This has raised concerns among local businesses, as it threatens the economic foundation of the town, which is primarily based on tourism.

　　In an interview with CIRES, Professor Tai Hsing-Sheng noted that the research team had found that the total area of the development proposal is likely to be around 1,100 hectares. While this figure is slightly lower than external estimates, it is still a very large number. He emphasized that Taiwan needs to accomplish two things: "First, every region should share the responsibility of developing renewable energy; second, no single town or township should bear an excessive proportion of solar power installations."

The Fenglin Solar Power Development Hotspot, with the yellow circle indicating areas with solar power installations of less than 2 hectares or 660 square meters.

(Image provided by local residents)

News&Market／2024.01.08

花東縱谷美景失守！花蓮鳳林光電圈地，超過1700公頃，佔全鎮面積近1／6

https://www.newsmarket.com.tw/blog/198330/