Taiwan, Asia's third-biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), will boost its capacity to import the fuel by 40 percent next year after it starts operating a new receiving terminal.
CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油), Taiwan's only natural gas supplier, plans to bring online the nation's second LNG import facility at the start of next year, Liao Tsang-long (廖滄龍), a spokesman for the state-run oil refiner, said by telephone yesterday. The plant in Taichung is designed to process 3 million tonnes of the fuel a year and will handle imports from Qatar, he said.
"We'll test run it this year," Liao said from Taipei.
Construction has been completed, he said.
Taiwan has a 25-year contract for as much as 3 million tonnes a year of supplies with Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Co, starting next year. The country is increasing consumption of LNG, cleaner-burning than coal and petroleum, to help cut greenhouse gas output. Taiwan accounted for about 1 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions in 2004.
CPC's first LNG import terminal in Yungan Township (
CPC imported approximately 7.8 million tonnes of LNG last year, exceeding the Yungan terminal's designed capacity, as the country's electricity demand rises, Liao said. The government predicts consumption of the fuel will rise to 10.5 million tonnes in 2010, boosted by electricity use from electronics makers.
Power producers, including state-run Taiwan Power Co (
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