The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday said that it received an application from Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) to scrap environmental impact assessment (EIA) approvals for the Shenao power plant.
The original Shenao plant in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳) was decommissioned in 2007 and demolished in 2011, but a proposal by the state-run utility to build a new plant at the site passed an EIA in 2006.
While the plan also passed an EIA in May, Premier William Lai (賴清德) last week said that the project would be shelved, given that the nation’s power supply would be ensured after CPC Corp, Taiwan’s third liquefied natural gas terminal passed an EIA on Oct. 8.
Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) on Monday said the ministry would revoke the Shenao EIAs within two months.
However, reports have said that the Democratic Progressive Party government is taking advantage of the Shenao issue to boost its election prospects in New Taipei City and might change its attitude after the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
EPA Department of Comprehensive Planning Deputy Director-General Wu Pei-yu (吳珮瑜) said that the ministry yesterday forwarded Taipower’s application to revoke the Shenao EIA approvals from 2006 and this year.
The EPA would start procedures in line with Article 123-4 of the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法) and on Tuesday would send officials to examine the site, Wu said.
After that, the agency would formally announce its decision to revoke the approvals and send documents to notify the ministry and the utility, she said.
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