Taiwan’s private solar power suppliers now have two months to adjust to a government pricing policy that calculates rates based on the completion date of installed facilities as opposed to when a contract was signed, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs Dec. 27.
MOEA Minister Shih Yen-shiang said firms holding purchase contracts with Taiwan Power Co. as of Dec. 17 will be permitted to sell electricity at this year’s rate if they can complete facility installations by February 28, 2011.
“This measure does not cover applications already submitted but still under review,” he said. “A task force has been organized for follow-up negotiations with private operators and related firms.”
Shih announced the decision during a legislative session in which the MOEA came under fire from lawmakers and operators for approving the rule change without having sufficient remedial measures in place.
The MOEA also said that solar power suppliers in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County will not be bound by the Dec. 17 regulatory change.
The facilities, which were established following a government call to transform fish farms into green energy businesses in the wake of August 2009’s Typhoon Morakot, have been given greater consideration in light of their tight working schedule.
