Civic groups yesterday called on the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to reject construction plans for the coal-fired Shenao Power Plant (深澳電廠), saying the project would worsen the air quality in the north.
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) plans to install two ultra-supercritical coal-fired generators with 600 megawatts of capacity each at the plant in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳).
The EPA is to hold an environmental impact assessment (EIA) grand assembly tomorrow to review the project, after an EIA committee meeting on Jan. 29 advised the agency to either require the developer to conduct a new EIA or to approve the project after asking it to submit supplementary documentation.
The project passed an EIA in 2006, but the utility last year applied for an environmental impact difference review after making changes to the plan. However, many groups are calling it a new construction project, given that the plant stopped operations in 2007.
The government plans to reduce the percentage of the nation’s energy generated from coal to 30 percent from the current 45.4 percent by 2025, meaning that demand for coal-fired power is declining and the plant is unnecessary, Greenpeace Taiwan campaigner Lisa Tsai (蔡佩芸) told a news conference in Taipei.
To stabilize the power supply, the nation needs more energy-saving facilities and better management of power supply and demand, not another coal-fired power plant, Green Citizens’ Action Alliance deputy secretary-general Hung Shen-han (洪申翰) said.
The project’s breakwaters and coal delivery harbor would damage the habitats of algae and animals on the seabed, independent ecological researcher Liang Yi-shuo (梁珆碩) said, adding that the artificial structures would also ruin the northeastern region’s coastline and geological continuity.
Warm water discharged from the plant would also affect the coral reefs along Shenao Bay (深澳灣), he added.
“The New Taipei City Government is not opposed to the construction of a power plant, but it rejects the idea that Taipower regards coal-fired power as its only option,” the city’s Environmental Protection Department said in a statement.
The city’s efforts to improve air quality have proved fruitful, with its annual average concentration of PM2.5 — fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller — having decreased to 17.1 micrograms per cubic meter last year from 24.63 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013, the department said, adding the plant’s operation would offset its endeavor.
The utility should carefully reassess the viability of the project, given that it was launched about 10 years ago, when the nation had not yet established standards for PM2.5 and greenhouse emissions reduction, it said, urging the utility to conduct a new EIA and adopt cleaner energy generation methods.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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