Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, has accelerated its environmental efforts and is aiming to fulfill its 100 percent renewable energy consumption (RE100) target by 2040, 10 years before the original 2050 goal.
TSMC said in a statement released Friday that as well as its RE100 2040 target, it is also aiming for 60 percent of the company’s energy used to be from renewable sources in 2023, an increase on the original goal of 40 percent.
According to TSMC, the chipmaker became the first semiconductor company in the world to join RE100 — a global corporate energy initiative that aims to bring together hundreds of large and ambitious businesses committed to 100 percent renewable energy usage — because it is a responsible corporate entity that regards renewable energy adoption as vital.
“TSMC committed to net zero emissions by 2050 two years ago on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer,” the chipmaker said in the statement. “This new timetable demonstrates TSMC’s commitment to its aspirations as the company actively pursues more opportunities and possibilities to meet environmental sustainability goals at a faster pace.”
In addition to its participation in the RE100 initiative, TSMC said as well as signing the largest renewable corporate power purchase agreement, it will also continue signing long-term renewable energy procurement contracts to help drive the green industry by attracting international renewable energy investment into the country.
On April 21 — the eve of Earth Day 2023 — TSMC established a platform that seeks to match renewable energy with industrial power consumers and signed a 20-year, 20,000 GWh joint long-term renewable energy contract.
TSMC said the platform, which operates under an innovative environment, social and governance (ESG) model, helps its suppliers and subsidiaries secure a stable joint procurement price and cuts barriers to renewable energy adoption, in a bid to accelerate the green transformation of the domestic semiconductor supply chain.
In 2022, TSMC purchased 86.9 percent of the green power produced for sale in Taiwan, making itself the largest buyer in the country, way ahead of No. 2, telecom service provider Taiwan Mobile Co. (3 percent), and power management solution provider Delta Electronics Inc. (2.1 percent), according to Taiwan Mobile, which compiled data from the National Renewable Energy Certification Center.
In addition, TSMC said it has also expanded the scope of its public welfare work by installing solar panels at social welfare organizations through the Public Welfare Green Energy Project, a TSMC Charity Foundation program.
TSMC then returns the proceeds from the sale of power generated by solar panels to these organizations.
According to TSMC, a total of 16 such solar panel installations are expected to become operational by the end of 2024.
“TSMC has a deep understanding of its key position in the global semiconductor industry and its influence on many economies. We are keenly aware of our urgent responsibilities in sustainability that we shoulder as a corporate entity,” Mark Liu (劉德音), chairman of TSMC and chairman of the company’s ESG Steering Committee, said in the statement.
“Tackling the impact of climate change on the environment and society head-on, TSMC has put green manufacturing at the heart of its sustainability management,” Liu said. “As a world-leading semiconductor company, we will continue to strengthen our green management and innovation, collaborate with the industry to build a green supply chain, and accelerate the adoption of renewable energy.”
