Taiwan & Mongolia ink renewable energy pact

Taiwan and Mongolia signed a memorandum of understanding on renewable energy development Feb. 17 in Taipei City, paving the way toward greater cooperation between the two nations.

Under the memorandum, both sides will establish joint strategic partnerships on renewable energy in the Asia-Pacific and forge institutionalized collaboration spanning energy audit and efficiency management, as well as solar and wind power.

The pact was concluded by Wang Yunn-ming, director-general of the Energy Bureau under the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Mundur Erdene-Ochir, deputy director of the Energy Development Center under the Ministry of Energy of Mongolia. Also attending the signing ceremony was MOEA Deputy Minister Duh Tyzz-jiun.

Duh said Mongolia is a much bigger market than Taiwan and has vast renewable energy resources. The memorandum will help Taiwan’s renewable energy businesses reach sufficient operating scale as required by international standards to expand in overseas markets, he added.

The deputy minister also highlighted the enormous potential of renewable energy development in Taiwan and Mongolia. Since the Renewable Energy Development Act was passed in 2009, the installed capacity of solar power facilities in Taiwan increased twenty-threefold, and the government expects to see its wind power development efforts produce results in 2015.

Echoing Duh’s remarks, Wang said Mongolia has implemented a number of incentive schemes to boost the appeal of its renewable energy sector to foreign investors. The Central Asian country plans to have 20 to 25 percent of its electricity supply come from renewable sources by 2020, he added.

The director-general said another important aspect of the memorandum encompasses management practices and technology employed at coal-fired power stations in Mongolia.