SECTION 2 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ON TAIWAN OFFSHORE WIND FARM CONSENTING PROCESS
離岸風場選址需要長期海洋環境資訊的支持，並考慮其他海域使用者的利益或限制。因此，應由國家對於具有離岸風場開發潛能的海域進行策略性規劃和選址。儘管《海洋基本法》已揭示「因應海洋多目標使用需求、協調海域使用及競合、落實海洋整合管理」之精神，海洋空間規劃相關法規仍未建立。
The selection of offshore wind farm sites requires long-term marine environmental data and consideration of the interests and restrictions of other marine users. Therefore, the state should conduct strategic planning and site selection for potential offshore wind farm development sea areas. While the Ocean Basic Act expresses the spirit of “responding to the multi-objective needs of ocean use, coordinating sea area utilization and competition, and implementing integrated ocean management,” regulations related to marine spatial planning have yet to be established.
特別要強調的是，從第一階段示範獎勵以來，所有的離岸風場業者都未被政府授予任何排他性權利。台灣離岸風場的選址是由各離岸風場開發業者個別進行的。進入第三階段區塊開發，離岸風場開發業者僅需避開經濟部公告之〈離岸風力發電區塊開發場址規劃申請作業要點〉附件一所示之「敏感區」。而所謂「敏感區」為各部會提出不可設置離岸風場之海域的簡單套疊，全無利害關係人議合。
It should be emphasized that no offshore wind farm developer/operator has been granted any exclusive rights by the government since the first phase (demonstration incentive). The siting for offshore wind farms in Taiwan is conducted individually by each offshore wind farm developer. To enter the third phase (zone development), offshore wind farm developers only need to avoid the “sensitive areas” listed in Annex 1 of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ “Guidelines for Application for Offshore Wind Power Zone Development Site Planning.” The so-called “sensitive areas” are simply overlays of sea areas where various ministries have proposed that offshore wind farms should not be located. They were determined with absolutely no stakeholder engagement.
2.1 環境影響評估 Environmental Impact Assessment
環境影響評估審查是離岸風場許可程序中相當重要的一環，也是少數利害關係人可以表達他們對開發計畫環境-社會關切事項的程序。根據《環境影響評估法》第5條第2項與〈開發行為應實施環境影響評估細目及範圍認定標準〉第29條第5項，所有的離岸風電計畫都需由環境部環境影響評估審查委員會實施審查。
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) review is a crucial part of the offshore wind farm consenting process. It is one of the few procedures where stakeholders can express their environmental and social concerns about development projects. According to Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and Article 29, Paragraph 5 of the Standards for Determining Specific Items and Scope of Environmental Impact Assessments for Development Activitie〉, all offshore wind power projects must undergo review by the EIA Committee of the Environmental Protection Administration.
環境影響評估必須評估離岸風場計畫對環境的潛在影響，包括自然環境的物化環境（地形地質、海象、水文水質、噪音振動）和海域生態（潮間帶、鳥類、魚類、鯨豚），以及人類環境（例如景觀遊憩、社會經濟、交通環境、安全評估）。然而，這些都是既有陸域或沿岸開發行為的調查評估項目，環評法規並未因應離岸風場的海域特性而調整。甚至依據〈開發行為環境影響評估作業準則〉制訂的〈海洋生態評估技術規範〉，還明顯自我限縮環評審查的範圍，缺乏海洋的社會-經濟面向之評估與減輕措施，有違《環境影響評估法》第4條之內涵，不僅自然生態面向，社會-經濟面向也同樣需要科學、客觀的評估 。
The EIA must evaluate the potential impacts of offshore wind farm projects on the environment, including the physical environment of the natural environment (topography, geology, marine conditions, hydrology, water quality, noise, vibration), marine ecology (intertidal zones, birds, fish, whales, and dolphins), and the human environment (such as landscape recreation, socioeconomics, transportation environment, and safety assessment). However, these are all investigation and assessment items for existing land or coastal development activities, and the environmental impact assessment regulations have not been adjusted to accommodate the offshore wind farm marine characteristics. Furthermore, according to the Technical Guidelines for Marine Ecological Assessment formulated based on the Operational Regulations for Environmental Impact Assessments for Development Activities, the scope of EIA review is clearly self-limited. It lacks any assessment and mitigation measures for the socio-economic aspects of the marine environment. This contradicts Article 4 in the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, which calls for the consideration of not only scientific and objective evaluations of natural ecological factors, but also socio-economic aspects.
離岸風場與陸域的任何類型開發的重大差別是：沒有人實際居住離岸風場的周圍。當離岸風場距岸超過20公里，以沿海行政區及其區內民眾作為法規要求溝通的「相關機關」、「當地居民」已無實質意義。
The significant difference between offshore wind farms and any land-based development is that no one actually lives around offshore wind farms. When an offshore wind farm is over 20 kilometers from the shore, using the coastal administrative district and its residents as the legally required “relevant agencies” and “local residents” for communication no longer has any practical significance.
然而，由於離岸風場周圍往往「沒有居民」，致離岸風場計畫難以符合《環境影響評估法》第8條第1項「對環境有重大影響之虞」之要件（〈環境影響評估法施行細則〉第19條第1項第2款第5目參照），而無須進行嚴謹的「第二階段環境影響評估」 。大規模且密集的離岸風場開發及其附設航道對漁民漁撈作業的衝擊，難以透過個案的環境影響評估獲得減輕。
However, due to the fact that there are often “no residents” around offshore wind farms, offshore wind farm projects cannot possibly be “likely to have a significant impact on the environment” under Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (see Item 5, Subparagraph 2, Paragraph 1 of Article 19 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Enforcement Rules). Thus, they do not need to undergo the rigorous “Second-Phase EIA.” The large-scale and intensive development of offshore wind farms and their associated navigation channels have significant impacts on fishermen’s catching operations, which are difficult to mitigate via individual EIAs.
離岸風場屬於點狀開發但整體佔用海域面積極大，因此衍生排他性或包容性使用的問題。不同海域用途之間，哪些是硬性限制、哪些是軟性因素？全都缺乏公共討論、對話。在長期未制訂海洋空間管理相關法規的情況下，經濟部能源署採取「原則許可、例外禁止」的作法讓離岸風電業者自行圈海，不僅不合理也損害政府公信力。
Although offshore wind farms are considered point developments, they occupy a large sea area and give rise to issues of exclusive or inclusive use. What are the hard restrictions and soft factors among the different uses of marine areas? All of these decisions lack public discussion and dialogue. In the absence of long-term regulations for marine spatial planning, the Energy Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, has adopted a “permission in principle, prohibition by exception” approach. This practice allows offshore wind develops to demarcate sea areas on their own, which is unreasonable and damages the government’s credibility.
2.2 建立與漁業的溝通管道 Establishing Contact with the Fishing Industry
離岸風場開發業者可能無法在環境影響評估程序剛開始時就確認他們需要接觸哪些漁民。確認相關漁民的一個良好起點是開發業者儘早訪問漁港、與碼頭上的漁民接觸，開始建立在地網絡、促進有效聯絡。
Offshore wind farm developers may be unable to identify the specific fishermen they need to contact at the very beginning of the EIA process. A good starting point for identifying relevant fishermen is for developers to visit fishing ports early on, engage with fishermen at the docks, and begin building a local network to facilitate effective liaison.
開發業者可以拜訪漁民協會、請求他們協助提供資訊，以便與受影響的漁民進行更詳細的諮詢。但開發業者應注意無論區漁會或漁民協會都無法代表所有漁民，因此持續地在地考察對於日後的相關利害關係人議合將發揮重要作用。
Developers can visit fishermen’s associations and request their assistance in providing information to enable more detailed consultations with the impacted fishermen. However, developers should note that neither the regional fishermen associations nor the fishermen’s associations can represent all fishermen. So, ongoing local research will be critical to future stakeholder engagement.