Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, is planning to purchase 70 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power by 2030 in Taiwan.
The green power purchase plan was announced after Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn internationally, signed an agreement on Friday with Foxwell Power Co., a subsidiary of solar power supplier Shinfox Energy Co., to buy 2.36 million kWh of green electricity in 2022.
Shinfox Energy Co. is under the corporate umbrella of the Foxlink Group, an affiliate of Hon Hai.
After the 2022 purchase, the company will increase the amount of green power purchased every year so that the accumulated purchases will reach an aggregate 70 million kWh of green power by 2030 as part of efforts for its offices in Taiwan to achieve a goal of net zero carbon emissions by that year, said Hon Hai.
According to Hon Hai, the purchase of 70 million kWh of green power is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 35,140 metric tons, which is equivalent to planting 2.92 million trees.
Hon Hai said the company was making concrete efforts to mitigate the impact from climate change at a time when it has been gearing up to push its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategies, in which it has designated smart environmental protection as the main way of fulfilling its "environmental" sustainability goal.
Hung Jung-chung (洪榮聰), Hon Hai's chief environmental protection officer, said that as one of the founding members of the Taiwan Alliance for Net Zero Emission, the company will come up with measures to trace greenhouse gas emissions in all of its plants to facilitate its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and increase green power usage, which is expected to contribute towards the goal for the entire group of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Hon Hai's ESG strategies echo the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, which include "affordable and clean energy," "responsible consumption and production," and "climate action," the company said.
So far, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, has bought almost all the green power produced and traded by certified enterprises in Taiwan, according to the Bureau of Standard, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI).
Meanwhile, Hon Hai also announced the completion of an acquisition on Wednesday of arQana's wireless telecommunications business, and a merger with AchernarTek Inc. as part of its efforts in developing electric cars, automotive electronics, and 5G infrastructure.
AchernarTek, arQana Taiwan, and arQana Belgium will integrate their resources and operations under a new brand called iCana, which will be 100-percent owned by the Taiwanese manufacturing giant and strengthen its semiconductor supply chain.
In a bid to transform itself from a pure contract manufacturer into a company that can integrate its hardware and software strengths, Hon Hai has come up with the "3 plus 3" initiative.
The initiative refers to three emerging industries -- electric vehicles, robotics, and digital health care -- that are being developed through the application of artificial intelligence, semiconductor, and communication technologies.
Sources: Overseas Community Affairs Council
