AU Optronics affiliate under fire for slashing hills to build solar farm and damaging cultural assets, says it hopes for mutual prosperity
(Continued from previous article) Shitouying, an important WWII military site, faces destruction from solar development. Cultural heritage advocates question whether the main developer of the Shitouying solar project, "Shengli Energy," is merely a shell company, while the entity actually operating the project, Xingyao Energy, is backed by electronics giant AU Optronics. Xingyao Energy vice president Chang Shu-wen admitted that Xingyao Energy's main shareholder is indeed AU Optronics, but stressed that Xingyao Energy operates completely independently and urged protesters not to conflate the two.
Pingtung County Councilor Chiang Yueh-hui emphasized that part of the funding for this AU Optronics development comes from policyholder funds, with CTBC Taiwan Life Insurance and Fubon Life Insurance both investing. "Life insurance companies are using ordinary people's money to invest in solar power, effectively plundering cultural assets. Although it is not illegal, it has lost the grace of corporate social responsibility." Before the destruction expands further, it should be remedied promptly to avoid repeating mistakes.
Xingyao Energy: voluntarily halted work and designated a controlled zone, and there is no destruction of cultural assets
Facing outside criticism that AU Optronics is using policyholder funds to develop solar power, Chang Shu-wen explained that in response to the government's 2025 nuclear phase-out policy, AU Optronics established Xingyao Energy, which did indeed attract investment from the life insurance industry, all in compliance with the oversight regulations of the Insurance Act.
She emphasized that Xingyao Energy is a developer selected by the Pingtung County Government. The original site selection criteria were based on being far from populated areas, land integrity, and proximity to Taipower substations. Before development, repeated official letters were sent and replies of consent were obtained from various cultural units. Encountering a cultural heritage dispute was truly not what the company wished for. The company will take a responsible attitude and plan a "Green Energy Cultural Heritage Park" to respond to public expectations.
As for outside allegations that the company is slashing hills to build solar, Chang Shu-wen also emphasized that this is not true. The land leased for this project exceeds 100 hectares, but less than 40 hectares is being developed, constituting low-density development. She also explained that the first phase of development mainly covers existing idle farmland, and that damage to some hillside land was not caused by the company. For the hillside portions involved in phases two and three, soil and water conservation measures are adopted, with multiple detention ponds installed, and through professional engineering evaluation, they can withstand flooding.
Regarding the cultural heritage dispute, outsiders accused the company of surreptitiously continuing construction. Chang Shu-wen said everything has been handled in accordance with county government regulations and the law. "When potential cultural assets are encountered, the company voluntarily halts work and sets up a controlled zone. Outside the controlled zone, construction may legally continue as normal, so there is no violation of law."
She emphasized that before the cultural heritage scope assessment and cultural heritage review results are released, the developer, as a lawful operator, has already proposed a cultural heritage preservation plan and a reasonable utilization plan to create coexistence and mutual prosperity.
Developer will plan a Green Energy Cultural Heritage Park for coexistence and mutual prosperity
Chang Shu-wen pointed out that when the company initially participated in the Pingtung County Government selection process and proposed the development project for this parcel of land, it also sent official letters to the county government's Cultural Affairs Department and the central Ministry of Culture, and received replies certifying that there were no cultural heritage or archaeological disputes at this site. Now the company is forced to face protests from cultural heritage groups. Although it is very helpless, it is willing to shoulder responsibility and readjust its plans.
At present, the company has signed an industry-academia cooperation agreement with National Pingtung University, and has invited cultural heritage expert Professor Lin Si-ling as a consultant. Using battlefield tourism as a reference, it plans to redesign the park and propose the concept of a "Green Energy Cultural Heritage Park," including cultural heritage guided tours and workshops, buffer green belts, and ecological conservation zones.
However, the new park plan requires time for re-review. Chang Shu-wen hopes the public will continue to allow time, believing that after construction is completed, both solar development and cultural heritage protection can be balanced.
Operator cites workplace safety responsibility, hopes cultural heritage groups will not gather crowds for unauthorized tours
Because the solar company set up fences on the hillside adjacent to the construction area, cultural heritage groups pushed back, believing the company was preventing the public from continuing to pay attention to the Shitouying site. Chang Shu-wen criticized cultural heritage groups for repeatedly gathering crowds for unauthorized guided tours, with some even charging fees for profit, which is "extremely troublesome" for the construction unit, prompting the public notice prohibiting entry.
She explained that the land is still privately owned, and after leasing it, the company must be responsible for construction safety, so it established a controlled zone, hoping that "cultural heritage advocates will respect one another and not trespass into the construction area, because if safety concerns arise, the consequences would be unimaginable." She said the developer hopes for peaceful and rational communication with cultural heritage groups, but at present the cultural heritage groups seem unwilling to communicate directly and repeatedly make public criticisms, which will probably not help achieve reconciliation and a win-win outcome.
Cultural heritage advocates: cultural assets are public assets, the public has the right to access them
Regarding the developer's accusation that cultural heritage groups gather crowds for guided tours with suspected profit-making behavior, cultural worker Kuo Chi-ching emphasized that cultural assets are not owned by the company but belong to the public, and the public has legitimacy in wanting to approach, understand, and even advocate for the protection of cultural assets. He counter-accused that it is precisely because the Pingtung County Government has been unwilling to designate the site as a "provisional monument" in accordance with the law that cultural assets have been damaged, which is why civic groups have repeatedly mobilized the public to rescue cultural assets.
Lin Xuan-yao believed that people who visit the site in person can feel the importance of the historical ruins, which further proves the educational value and tourism potential of the WWII site and is enough to drive sustainable local development. If the WWII site is destroyed by solar development, it is the locality that will suffer the loss. He further criticized: "Letting the public understand the history carried by Shitouying, I don't know what the company is afraid of?"
Chiang Yueh-hui: public funds are being used to "slash hills, build solar, and destroy cultural assets," calls on consumers to boycott
Pingtung County Councilor Chiang Yueh-hui criticized that part of the funding for this solar project comes from policyholder funds. "Ordinary people buy insurance from life insurance companies, yet the life insurance companies use the people's money to invest in solar power. Although there is no procedural problem and it is not illegal, it has lost the grace of corporate social responsibility." Shitouying is a historical site and a common cultural asset of humanity. After public protests, the company not only ignored them but continued construction. She directly criticized the shareholding company behind Xingyao Energy as "not worthy of being called an entrepreneur."
"These WWII sites survived the war, but could not survive investors' development. It is not an exaggeration to call these companies cultural heritage killers." Chiang Yueh-hui also sharply criticized this case as a portrayal of officials and conglomerates covering for each other. "On the one hand, the county government claims it is continuously supervising the project to protect cultural assets; on the other hand, it has delayed granting provisional monument status. When the public demanded the developer halt work, the county government actually said it respected private property rights, shielding the company." The dispute has lasted half a year, and the first phase of development is nearly complete.
"Shitouying is a living history textbook, a golden goose, an asset that can revitalize the local Fangliao area. What does the Pingtung County Government plan to leave for the next generation?" Chiang Yueh-hui sharply criticized. "The county government has long known the cultural heritage potential of Shitouying, yet still insisted on going its own way. Now that cultural assets have been damaged, the Cultural Affairs Department and the Cultural Heritage Division should be abolished."
Chiang Yueh-hui emphasized that CTBC Taiwan Life Insurance and Fubon Life Insurance are using insurance policyholders' money to effectively plunder local cultural assets. If the government orders a halt to construction, there may be state compensation issues, but before the destruction expands further, it should promptly remedy the situation to avoid repeating mistakes.
It is worth noting that the solar development in this case leases more than 100 hectares of land for development, and some of that land changed hands through sale only the previous year. In this regard, Chiang Yueh-hui checked land administration data and found that the declared land value in the area was only 80 yuan per ping, yet someone was able to buy it the previous year and the next year lease it at a high price to an AU Optronics affiliate. The land investment foresight can be called incredibly accurate, clearly obtaining huge windfall profits through this case.