Taiwan is set to become one of the first countries in the world to phase out all mercury-vapor street lamps. The traditional lights will be replaced with more energy efficient LED lamps by the end of 2016.
The Cabinet approved the project on Friday. A budget of NT$5.49 billion (US$179 million) will be allocated for the two-year conversion project, which will replace nearly 700,000 mercury street lamps around Taiwan.
There will also be regulations banning mercury-vapor street lamps. Once completed, the project could help reduce annual electricity consumption by 640 million kilowatt-hours and carbon emissions by 330,000 metric tons. This will also ease local governments’ financial burdens and improve the quality of lighting on the streets.