Environmental groups yesterday staged a rally in front of the Construction and Planning Agency’s headquarters in Taipei to protest a proposal to construct a long-distance power line on Yushan (玉山), or Jade Mountain, the nation’s highest peak.
Making coffee with a solar-powered coffee van to show how off-grid green energy could sustain basic living needs, dozens of protesters said that the proposed power line is completely unnecessary, and the agency should not try to turn Paiyun Lodge (排雲山莊), the famed camp site at an altitude of 3,400m on Yushan, into a hotel and boost carbon emissions.
The Yushan National Park Administration has proposed a NT$200 million (US$6.1 million) project to construct an 8.5km-long power line from Tataka (塔塔加) — a saddle on Yushan in Chiayi County at an altitude of 2,610m — to the lodge to transmit commercial power to meet emergency medical needs, as well as electricity and communication demands.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance managing director Kao Ju-ping (高茹萍) said that a solar facility is more suitable to mountain areas because there is sufficient radiation, and authorities should turn Yushan into a model national park to demonstrate how renewable energy could replace conventional power sources.
Taiwan Environmental Protection Union secretary-general Chen Bing-heng (陳秉亨) said a 10kW solar generator should meet the park administration’s estimated daily power consumption of 37kW, which would cost only about NT$1 million and is much cheaper than the proposed power line project.
Emergency medical devices such as oxygen concentrators and automated external defibrillators are usually equipped with rechargeable batteries and can be connected to off-grid power, nullifying the need to construct power lines on the mountain, Chen said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-ching (田秋堇) said that a combined solar and wind power system with a backup diesel generator should be adequate for hikers, adding that fixed power lines are costly to build and maintain, given the number of typhoons that visit the country each year.
Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association lawyer Hsieh Meng-yu (謝孟羽) said that the project cannot be approved for review without a study of the impact on public safety of development on such a geologically sensitive area.
In response, National Parks Division director Chan Te-shu (詹德樞), who accepted the protesters’ petition, said that the proposal is still in the planning stage and no budget has been allocated.
The establishment of a fixed power line is one of the three proposed projects to improve the facility on Yushan — the other two being a hydroelectric system and a combined solar-diesel power system of solar energy and diesel power — with none expected to be approved until after public hearings are conducted, Chan said.
Hikers have suggested that the agency upgrade the facility on the mountain following recent disasters, but the agency would only approve projects that garner enough public support, he said.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS