TRENA TALKS EP. 3 – How to improve stakeholder engagement for renewable energy projects in Taiwan with Milan Chen, Solutions for Our Climate

·    Date: July 11, 2025

·    Host: Raoul Kubitschek & YD Chang

·    Guest: Milan Chen, Solution for Our Climate, Director of Taipei Office

INTRODUCTION

Raoul:

Welcome to Episode Three of TRENA TALKS, the English-language podcast series by the Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance (TRENA). I’m Raoul, Chairman of TRENA, joined by YD, our Deputy Chairwoman. Today, our special guest is Milan Chen, Director of the Taipei Office at Solutions for Our Climate.

YD:

TRENA recently celebrated its 10th anniversary—a truly special milestone. When we began a decade ago, we never imagined we would come this far. To mark this memorial occasion, we decided to publish a report in the form of a position paper reflecting on transformation from being merely energy voters to becoming energy citizens—individuals who not only care about the impact of energy transitions on our daily lives but also are willing to take action. This led us to look back over the past ten years, a journey filled with both joy and challenges. However, some tough issues have not yet been tackled and will be worth our effort in the next round.

Raoul:

We will need to address all remaining unresolved issues, but we have also come a long way—growing renewable energy’s share from 4.5% in 2016 to 13.5% today, with installed capacity reaching 21 GW. However, we have seen a slowdown over the past 12 months.

In offshore wind, 3 GW of capacity is currently under construction and is expected to be completed between now and 2027. The next round, however, presents significant challenges. So far, we have only two projects—one has reached financial close, while CIP is progressing toward milestones. We do hope that the project moves smoothly into the construction phase.

Round 3-2 remains relatively inactive, while Round 3-3 will address marine spatial planning at a later stage. Taiwan has established itself as a leading model for offshore wind development in the Asia-Pacific region—yet we have not fully advanced to the next level of complexity. Today, we will focus on stakeholder engagement and planning regimes.

YD:

We actually saw some positive outcomes during the recent Typhoon Danas. It was a severe storm that struck from Chiayi, a flood area with many solar panels. Many old houses lost their roofs overnight, including our old house in Tainan—where we no longer live there. We haven’t experienced a typhoon of this scale in many years—this one was truly massive.

However, the good news is that none of the wind turbines were hit or damaged. In fact, the offshore wind turbines continued operating throughout the typhoon. The situation was different for solar installations—many early builds of solar panels could not withstand and collapsed along with aging rooftops, creating yet another recent crisis.

We also saw many positive signs—solar panels provided safeguard to many factory roofs. In some cases, owners had renovated old roofs when installing the panels, which likely prevented even greater damage. Overall, the impact was not as serious as it could have been.

Raoul:

Typhoon "Danas" was an extremely powerful natural disaster that struck during the harvest season. It caused widespread damage to agriculture, with banana crops being destroyed as they were ripped from the trees. The storm knocked down power lines, leaving entire areas without electricity. Tragically, two lives were lost in the disaster. The winds came from unusual and unpredictable directions, making the storm even more destructive and difficult to anticipate. The shutdown of engineering operations magnified the challenges of building in Taiwan, when construction is especially exposed to such high wind forces.

YD:

A few weeks ago, TRENA held a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan discussing national security and the role of renewable energy during crises, such as war. They highlighted what installed solar power could do, pointing out that if local communities in southern Taiwan had installed solar energy earlier, they could have avoided power outages that lasted for days. Taipower did an impressive job restoring the grid, but there's still room for improvement. Moving forward, it's an excellent opportunity to consider installing large solar systems on campuses, those public buildings. With some strategic planning and combined energy storage, which could switch to local energy supply stations during a crisis, reducing dependence on the grid. This is a key issue that we learned from the recent typhoon.

INTERVIEW

1.  Could you share your career path and describe your involvement in the offshore wind industry?

My interest in climate change began over a decade ago, when I was still an undergraduate student. I remember first learning about climate refugees in Latin America, which had a proud impact on me. Growing up in Taitung, living among Indigenous groups, already experiencing the serious impacts of climate change, I realized I had to take action, so I began taking related courses, conducting research, and gradually deepening my involvement in climate issues.

After completing my Master’s degree, I secured an internship with the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Secretariat in Germany. During my time there, I came to realize that climate change is in fact a multi-faceted issue. After working experiences at UNFCC, I decided to pursue a PhD in Climate Politics, also in Germany. After completing my doctoral studies, I returned to Taiwan.

At National Taiwan University, I did a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Society and Policy. Following that, I joined the British Office Taipei, where I led on climate and energy policy. Over the course of two years, I facilitated numerous government-level dialogues, with a strong focus on offshore wind development and other renewable energy resources.

Later, I joined Iberdrola Company in Taiwan, where I focused on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and stakeholder engagement. Unfortunately, Iberdrola eventually decided to withdraw from the Taiwan market. Following that, I spent six months working as a climate and energy policy consultant for a U.S.-based climate organization. Currently, I serve as the Taipei Office Director at Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the energy transition, decarbonization, and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This is new ground for me.

2.  Where is the SFOC organization based?

Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), headquartered in Seoul, South Korea; it was founded in 2016. Nearly a decade later, it has grown into one of the largest climate organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, with branch offices now in Tokyo and Taipei. With a team of around 130 professionals working across various sectors and areas, SFOC has become the largest climate organization in the APAC region.

3.  That’s interesting—Taiwan is not typically seen as a hotspot for nonprofit foundations, especially in the context of international development. So, why choose Taiwan?

Although Taiwan accounts for just 0.6% of global emissions and may appear too small places for international organizations to focus on, its global influence is far greater. Taiwan’s semiconductor industry produces and supplies 90% of the world’s most advanced chips, and the island has made significant progress in offshore wind achievement while ranking among the top importers of liquefied natural gas (LNG). It is also a critical player in global shipping, with companies such as Yang Ming and Wan Hai. Despite its small geographic size, Taiwan has the capacity to drive the global energy transition, shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

4.  What is the mission of the Taiwan office, and what are your priorities for the next 12 months? What key topics will you be working on, and what direction do you want to move forward?

We’re just getting started, so our team is still small—currently two people, with plans to expand to five by the end of the year. Our work focuses on two main areas, with offshore wind as our top priority. Taiwan has made remarkable progress in offshore wind development over the past eight years, and it’s crucial to maintain that momentum. As a regional leader in offshore wind, Taiwan needs to continue leading in offshore wind within the region, but several policy barriers and challenges have to be tackled to ensure sustained growth. As a nonprofit organization, we can play a vital role in offering policy suggestions, building connections across diverse social groups and industries, encouraging the government to maintain its momentum, and supporting the government to address the challenges we currently face.

The other key area of focus is natural gas, which remains a sensitive and complex issue—particularly in the context of national security. While Taiwan has expressed intentions to reduce its reliance on liquefied natural gas (LNG), there is still a lack of clear timelines. Taiwan’s heavy dependence on LNG presents significant risks to the island’s energy security, and this issue must be addressed properly. We have not yet seen this discussion in Taiwan, making now an ideal timing to encourage serious consideration of how to strengthen the island’s resilience.

5.  You’re currently hiring—what are the next three positions you’re looking for?

We’re planning to fill three new positions. The first is a policy role focused on offshore wind—we’re looking for someone with a solid understanding of the policy landscape and key stakeholders in this field. The second position will focus on natural gas, exploring alternatives and initiating critical discussions. The third role is in communications—we need someone who can effectively craft and deliver our messages to a wide range of audiences properly.

6.  SFOC is a new foundation in Taiwan—how do you see its role in the existing ecosystem? How do you envision positioning SFOC in the years ahead?

Taiwan already has many experienced organizations and pioneers working on environmental issues, and we deeply respect and appreciate their contributions over the past years. As a newcomer, SFOC will rely heavily on close collaboration with local partners and experts—such as TRENA and other environmental groups. Our goal is to facilitate the energy transition through strong, inclusive partnerships.

7.  Could you tell us more about your publication “Developing a Public Engagement Framework for Offshore Wind in Taiwan”? What were the findings and recommendations on that, and how did you come to the publication?

We actually referred a lot to the reports of UPN Chamber of commerce, the major findings of our report highlight key insights drawn from previous experiences. We identified several barriers and challenges encountered not only by developers but also by unofficial communities and government bodies. While there are many aspects worth exploring, this report specifically focuses on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, as it presents an immediate opportunity for improvement. Currently, the EIA process serves as the platform for public engagement in offshore wind development. Therefore, we conducted interviews with over 20 key stakeholders—including government officials, industry representatives, experts, local communities (particularly those in the fisheries sector), and members of civil society.

Together, we identified several common challenges and opportunities. One key challenge within the EIA process is the so-called “three-minute rule,” which limits civil society organizations (CSOs) to just three minutes of speaking time. This strict time constraint often prevents stakeholders from fully addressing their concerns, or engaging in meaningful dialogue, in an attempt to improve communication.

Another issue is the location of the EIA review platform, which is currently centralized in Taipei under the Ministry of Environment. This centralization creates accessibility barriers for local communities—especially for fishermen. There is a clear need to improve and decentralize the process, making it more accessible and inclusive for affected communities.

The third issue concerns timing. Currently, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are only carried out during the engagement process; however, they should begin much earlier—well before the planning of a development project. In addition, we’ve raised concerns about the lack of transparency in information disclosure and the effectiveness of communication. These issues were part of the recommendations we submitted to the Ministry of Environment.

Many of our findings and recommendations are inspired by the UK system known as FLOWW—the Fisheries Liaison with Offshore Wind and Wet Renewables Group. This platform, focused on offshore wind and renewable energy development, brings together government representatives, developers, and fishing communities at an early stage to foster better communication, mutual understanding, and the co-creation of practical guidelines that can be applied and adopted by project developers.

8.  What is your experience engaging with local communities, and how does it inspire you to seek better ways to support them?

We actually have two projects in Penghu, one is called Guofeng, and the other is  Jidao. The Jidao project was voluntarily cancelled at an early stage due to strong opposition and widespread concerns voiced by the local fishing community. As for Guofeng, I personally visited Penghu several times. Our engagement went beyond just the town office and the fishing community—we also spoke with boat captains, their families, and local NGOs that support these families. We understand that around 30% of the local population are fishermen, and their worktime is highly seasonal. They often spend long periods at sea and extended time at home.

Through our visits, we witnessed first-hand the efforts of many local organizations working to improve the community’s quality of life—from supporting children's education to promoting fishing and eating culture in a more accessible way in Penghu. In this sense, our engagement included a wide range of local NGOs and strived to build better collaborative relationships not only with the fishing sectors but also with the entire ecosystem.

During that time, I realized there were still many ways we could improve communications and project development. I remember we invited an engineer from the UK, Jim, who directly demonstrated to the fishermen how offshore turbines could be strategically placed to avoid or minimize potential impacts on fishing nets. This kind of practical engagement demonstrates that multi-faceted collaboration is achievable—as long as we have sufficient time, adequate resources, and effective mechanisms in place. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have those conditions in our case.

9.  What are the main recommendations of the publication, and how do you approach these challenging issues?

We want to make this information accessible even to, say, our grandparents. We are only dedicated to specific people who have specific expertise. The first step is to ensure that the fishery community can easily access it—by holding public hearings engagement sessions at their local Community Center(活動中心). Importantly, this process should begin before the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). From our perspective, the EIA takes place in the middle or even at the last stage of project development, whereas community engagement should happen much earlier.

YD added:

I remember back in 2010, under a different government that wasn’t particularly supportive of renewable energy. During our annual FIT tariff discussions, the debates were intense, and the “three-minute rule” was strictly enforced. To overcome this, we knew we had to stand united. Mr. Cheng, the leader of the Solar Power Association, encouraged us by saying, “You could speak as long as you want.” So, that was how we resolved the problem ourselves.

Raoul added:

It would require strong coordination if you truly want to reform the entire stakeholder engagement projects—a huge task, as it would be split across many ministries, which often makes it difficult.

Another point also mentioned in that publication—though a relatively minor topic—is marine spatial planning. The UK provides a strong point of contrast, having developed robust marine spatial planning regimes with dedicated planning agencies. In reality, implementing such planning requires collecting a vast amount of data. In offshore wind, for example, we often think about the ocean as a whole, but there are many sea and land users to consider: tourism, fisheries, defense, ports, shipping, and so on. It’s actually a highly complex undertaking. Taiwan, however, has long struggled with holistic planning. The Ministry of the Interior’s national plan has already been delayed, and there are also challenges related to solar and offshore wind that are stalled due to land use conflicts, financial issues, and construction developer constraints. This makes marine spatial planning an especially difficult topic.

Since 2018, Taiwan has established the Ocean Affairs Council, its first ministry-level body dedicated to ocean-related matters. It is located in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition that Taiwan is an ocean nation, with a stronger understanding of the importance of the sea for economic development and other relative affairs. However, challenges remain—for example, during what might have been the 3-3 round of discussions, issues related to cross-strait channels were suddenly made unclear by the Ministry of Transportation.

10.  How can we improve marine spatial planning in Taiwan, considering all the different ministries and ongoing activities involved?

That is a million‑dollar question. Let me begin by explaining why better marine spatial planning is essential in Taiwan. We’ve already witnessed zoning projects being cancelled due to inadequate planning—whether because of national security or conflicts. Proper early-stage engagement and spatial planning can save significant time and money. It would also maintain industry reputation and public trust, if the zoning project had involved better engagement.

I know that the Ocean Affairs Council has worked very hard on drafting regulations related to marine spatial planning. However, the current situation—particularly national security concerns—has significantly delayed the process. From my personal observation, it seems the Ocean Council is still trying to define its role and find effective ways to coordinate with other ministries, especially the Energy Administration. These are challenges they are actively working through, and do hope to see  clearer direction and inter-ministerial collaboration in the near future.

We do have an upcoming project focused on marine spatial planning in the months and year ahead. Since this is a broad scope of the issue, we are still working to identify the most strategic entry points for NGO like us, and can effectively facilitate and accelerate proper planning processes as soon as possible. While offshore wind has already encountered challenges, we must also begin preparing for future developments—such as ocean energy—which will require even more comprehensive planning.

Raoul added:

A better understanding of the east coast is crucial; ocean energy development could be feasible. Marine spatial planning, however, is not just a mapping exercise—it involves identifying regulations, determining connection points, deciding on methodologies, and clarifying what information can be provided by which parties and how to ensure proper follow-through. It is constantly changing, and that reality remains true.

The Taiwan Strait is a very busy area, especially when you consider shipping traffic. If we could start with better, more transparent data, that would be helpful. Some research from ocean-related universities often seems localized and specific, rather than part of a general, coordinated effort. Sometimes that knowledge is shared, but other times it isn’t in the end.

11.  What is SFOC’s plan for this year? What major developments can we look forward to?

There are many exciting events coming up. First, we will hold an issue brief lunch focused on our LNG findings, examining whether Taiwan is sourcing too much gas, and facing potential strengthened assets, that is one.

The other one, which I am really looking forward to  is that because our organization is currently based in Tokyo and Taipei branch offices. So by the end of this year, we are planning to bring CSOs, NGO experts in South Korea and Japan to Taiwan, as well as inviting TRENA and others joining together from CEO and NGO prospective to identify the common challenges we all face among these three countries, and identify solutions; could work together. So It will be regional collaboration working on facilitating offshore wind development either marine spatial planning or official engagements, supply chains, related policy, hopefully, this event will continue to become an annual event that our alliance and partners can work together on offshore wind development.

Conclusion:

It will be an exciting time toward the end of the year, as our government encourages discussions on the auction rules and the upcoming offshore wind auction. It is hoped that these developments happen sooner rather than later, given that Taiwan currently has only 21 GW of capacity. The longer the delay, the greater the risk of a supply chain breakdown. From a supply chain perspective, there is broad agreement on the urgency, but the complexities and realities involved must also be carefully acknowledged.