In order to further promote energy transition in Taiwan, the central government has assigned Shalun Green Energy Science City as a base to cultivate domestic 5+2 innovation industries. Construction work at this Science City in Gueiren District, Tainan City, has already begun and Premier Su Tseng-chang traveled to Tainan on Jan. 29 to observe the progress.
Premier Su remarked that Shalun Green Energy Science City is not only an iconic project in the central government’s 5+2 Industrial Transformation Plan, but also an important green energy infrastructure in the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. The site is expected to provide one-stop service which includes R&D, pilot production, testing, and verification procedures, and will also be connected with surrounding science parks and industrial zones to form an industry cluster. The Premier hopes that Shalun Green Energy Science City can become the green energy development center of the Asia-Pacific region.
Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che expressed that after President Tsai Ing-wen assigned Shalun as the location for the new Green Energy Science City, the area has developed rapidly. The Mayor thanked the Premier for his assistance in instructing the Ministry of Economic Affairs to provide early-stage planning budget for the development of Shalun Green Energy Science City and Healthcare Zone so that Tainan can eventually realize Smart Green Energy Science City 2.0.
Huang pointed out that the areas surrounding the Science City will offer comprehensive amenities. In collaboration with National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City Government has planned out hospitals in the Healthcare Zone. Shalun Junior High School (an international bilingual school), Mitsui outlet park, and a convention center will also be completed near the Science City. In short, this will be a livable new town which is also suitable for industry development.
Tainan’s economic prospect is looking good in the post-epidemic era. Southern Taiwan Science Park is already an important production site for vehicle-use chips and components, semiconductors, precision machinery, and optoelectronics. If Tainan wishes to boost its economic development further, the city will need a second driving force, and Shalun Green Energy Science City is the answer. Using “building a sustainable smart city” as its development blueprint, Tainan City Government aims to make this new Science City the second engine that will drive forth the city’s economy.