Central and local governments join hands to promote green energy and fishery-solar symbiosis, creating a win-win for fisheries and solar power

Promoting green energy is a major national policy and a path that advanced countries must take. Central agencies including the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Chiayi County held a policy briefing on fishery-solar symbiosis in Budai on October 22, at which aquaculture fishermen and civic groups spoke enthusiastically on issues of livelihood, rights and environmental protection; some fishermen drew on their own experience to strongly promote fishery-solar symbiosis, while others asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs to include Longjiang Village, which had not been placed within the priority zone, hoping to increase fishermen's stable income.

In response to the energy transition and to promote the fishery-solar symbiosis policy, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the county government held a briefing in Budai on the 22nd, attended by more than 200 aquaculture fishermen and civic groups. Those present in person to explain the policy to local residents included County Magistrate Weng Chang-Liang, Ministry of Economic Affairs Deputy Minister Tseng Wen-Sheng, Ministry of the Interior Deputy Minister Hua Ching-Chun and Council of Agriculture Deputy Chairman Chen Tien-Shou.

Deputy Minister Tseng Wen-Sheng pointed out that promoting fishery-solar symbiosis can ensure fishery production, safeguard fishermen's rights and achieve a win-win situation of environmental coexistence and shared prosperity; current regulations have been amended to simplify procedures, helping fishery-solar symbiosis zones submit proposals quickly, accelerating the demonstration and rollout of fishery-solar symbiosis, and increasing fishermen's diverse sources of green energy income. In addition, the implementation of environmental and social checks in the fishery-solar symbiosis promotion strategy can exclude disputed areas, effectively ensuring ecological development and reducing environmental impact, and easing the burden on local areas. The purpose of the briefing was to ensure that local opinions could be fully expressed and discussed.

County Magistrate Weng Chang-Liang hoped that through the briefing fishermen would learn about the new policy, and especially that local participation in voicing opinions would be ensured. In the process of all sectors working to promote fishery-solar symbiosis, he believed the central government would certainly safeguard the rights of aquaculture farmers on the premise of ensuring ecology and the sustainable development of the aquaculture fishery industry.