Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei Proposes 'Importing Solar Power from Philippines': Exposed as Pre-empted by Pro-DPP Leopard Power, Drawing Accusations of Cronyism and Apology

On October 16, 2024 (113th Year of the Republic of China), Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei faced intense grilling before the Economics Committee of the Legislative Yuan after proposing that Taiwan build solar and geothermal power stations in the Philippines (Luzon) and transmit electricity back to Taiwan via undersea cables spanning hundreds of kilometers. Opposition legislators, including Wang Hung-wei, exposed that Leopard Power—a prominent green energy corporation closely tied to the DPP's New Tide faction—had already formed a joint venture in the Philippines in June 2024 to capture the local solar market. Lawmakers fiercely questioned whether the Ministry of Economic Affairs was designing cross-border energy procurement tailored to enrich politically connected cronies. Furthermore, marine and energy experts criticized the proposal as an unfeasible fantasy fraught with technical hurdles such as the Kuroshio Current and the 3,000-meter-deep Luzon Trench. Under heavy legislative scrutiny, Minister Kuo repeatedly apologized for 'imprecise remarks,' dealing another severe blow to the credibility of the DPP's national energy strategy.