CIArb Taiwan Chapter’s Evening Talk on Hot Legal Topics in Solar Power

The Taiwan Chapter was very honored to co-host, along with the Taipei Professional Civil Engineers Association, Taiwan Arbitration Association, Chinese Construction Industry Arbitration Association, and iADR® on 6 September 2021 a special evening discussion on “Hot Legal Topics in Solar Power” as a sequel to its previous talk regarding offshore wind power.

Dr Helena Chen FCIArb (Convenor of the Taiwan Chapter) first gave a brief introduction of the Taiwan Government’s policies on solar energy, and captured the audience’s attention with two questions: (1) what is the percentage of solar power installed capacity compared to the installed capacity of all other renewable energy used in Taiwan in 2020 and (2) what installed capacity of solar power is set to be achieved by 2025? Helena further explained the difference between the installed capacity and electricity generation of energy sources.

Thereafter, as a welcome note, Ms Laurie Chou (President of the Chinese Construction Industry Arbitration Association) and Mr Chun-Wei Chuang (Chairman of the Taipei Professional Civil Engineers Association) shared their stories and invited participants to join this emerging industry. Ms Alison Chang FCIArb (former Head of the Taiwan Chapter YMG, North Asia Representative of the ICC YAF) followed with an introduction of the benefits that alternative dispute resolution mechanisms can bring to the solar energy sector.

The discussion was then organized into three parts, with each speaker sharing his/her experiences, insights, and advice on one specific topic. Ms I-Sha Liu (Associate Partner at Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law) presented issues on the foreign investment aspects of solar power projects. Ms Jean Kuo (Partner at Jones Day) identified key challenges frequently encountered by investors in obtaining rights to the land in solar power development cases. Mr Chunhan Chi (Foreign Lawyer at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto) described major issues of note in the application procedures and negotiations of investment agreements in the field of fishery and electricity symbiosis, particularly from the perspectives of Japanese investors.

From top left to bottom center: Dr Helena Chen FCIArb (Convenor of the Taiwan Chapter), Ms Alison Chang FCIArb (former Head of the Taiwan Chapter YMG, North Asia Representative of the ICC YAF), Ms I-Sha Liu (Associate Partner at Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law), Mr Chunhan Chi (Foreign Lawyer at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto), Ms Jean Kuo (Partner at Jones Day), Ms. Laurie Chou (President of the Chinese Construction Industry Arbitration Association), and Mr. Chun-Wei Chuang (Chairman of the Taipei Professional Civil Engineers Association).