The nation’s natural gas consumption may rise 45 percent to 16 million tonnes in 2025, as the use of cleaner-burning fuel is encouraged to help cut emissions.
Demand may increase from a projected 10 million tonnes this year, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) chairman Chu Shao-hua (朱少華) said at a conference in Taipei yesterday.
REPLACEMENT
Natural gas may replace some use of fuel oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LNG), said Chu, who runs the country’s only natural gas importer and supplier.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who took office in May 2008, has pledged to cut emissions to 2000 levels by 2025. Taiwan releases about three times more heat-trapping gases per person than the world average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
BEST CHOISE
“LNG [liquified natural gas] is the best choice to promote low-CO2 emissions energy,” Chu said.
The nation imports about 98 percent of its natural gas needs in liquid form and is East Asia’s third-biggest buyer of LNG. CPC has multiyear contracts to buy the fuel from Malaysia, Indonesia and Qatar. Power generation accounts for about 80 percent of the country’s gas consumption.
COAL-FIRE PLANTS
Coal-fired plants accounted for 40 percent of the nation’s electricity production last month, compared with 29 percent from gas units, 17 percent from atomic reactors and 4 percent from oil, according to the Web site of Taiwan Power Co (台電), the country’s monopoly grid operator. Other sources included hydropower.
“We’re trying to minimize fuel oil in power generation,” Chu said.
Taiwan is also trying to reduce the number of households that use liquified petroleum gas, which stands at 3.5 million, Chu said.
REGIONAL RIVALS
Japan and South Korea are the biggest buyers of LNG in the world. LNG is natural gas that’s been chilled to liquid form, reducing it to one-six-hundredth of its original volume for transportation by ship to destinations not connected by pipeline. On arrival, it’s turned back into gas for distribution to power plants, factories and households.
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