Taiwan's power utility says has made last payment to Russia for coal

Taiwan's state-owned utility Taipower has made its last payment for Russian coal under a deal signed before the war in Ukraine and it will not enter into any new purchase agreements with Russia, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Taiwan has joined in Western-led sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, keen to show it is a responsible member of the international community, and the government has condemned Russia for its actions.

Taipower spokesperson Wu Chin-chung said that before the war the company had agreed to buy 1.16 million tonnes of coal this year from Russia for $280 million.

The final payment of $150 million was made this month and no further coal would be bought from Russia, with coal coming instead from Indonesia, Australia, Colombia and South Africa, Wu said.