The government would not be able to reach the power reserve margin target it set for 2025 if fails to commence operations at the coal-fired Shenao Power Plant (深澳電廠) as scheduled, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The nation is likely to see a power shortfall by 2025, as the reserve margin is expected to decline 1.4 percent if the plant does not come online in July that year, the ministry said in a statement.
The government aims to improve the margin to 15 percent after next year from 7.1 percent this year by accelerating construction of several power plant projects, including expanding the Shenao plant in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳).
Photo: CNA
Upgrading the plant would ensure a stable power supply and improve energy efficiency, the ministry said, adding that the facility’s lower heating value — its efficiency taking into account the energy lost as water evaporates during combustion — is forecast to grow to 45 percent from 38 percent after the upgrades are completed.
Upgrades at the coal-fired Linkou Power Plant (林口發電廠) in New Taipei City are finished, the ministry said, adding that it would strike a balance between efficiency and environmental protection when upgrading the Shenao plant.
With more advanced equipment, the facility would be capable of reducing sulfur oxide and nitric oxide emissions, it added.
The ministry’s remarks came after the plant on Wednesday passed an environmental impact assessment, triggering renewed criticism over worsening air quality in northern Taiwan.
Environmental groups consider the Shenao plant upgrade to constitute a new project, as the original facility was mothballed in 2007 before being demolished in 2011, local Chinese-language media reported.
The government should invest more resources in the development of renewable energy resources, instead of generating coal-based energy, environmental groups have said.
The ministry said it assessed the possibility of replacing coal with natural gas at the Shenao plant, but the site does not have the space required to store the fuel.
Despite the government’s goal of generating 20 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2025, the ministry said it is still necessary to partly rely on coal-generated energy to ensure a stable energy supply.
Taiwan, an energy-dependent nation that imports nearly 98 percent of its fuel, is susceptible to fluctuations in global energy prices, the ministry said.
Coal-generated energy is seen as a more stable energy resource compared with renewable sources, as coal can be stored for 30 days, it added.
More than 20,000 employees at Apple Inc supplier Foxconn Technology Group’s (富士康) huge Chinese plant, mostly new hires not yet working on production lines, have left, a Foxconn source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The departures from the world’s largest iPhone factory dealt a fresh blow to the Taiwanese company, which has been grappling with strict COVID-19 restrictions that have fueled worker discontent and disrupted production ahead of Christmas and January’s Lunar New Year holiday. Concerns are mounting over Apple’s ability to deliver products for the busy holiday period as the worker unrest lingers at the Zhengzhou plant, which produces the
FACTORY TUMULT: The departure of new workers impact production less than the quarantines imposed on existing employees, a worker at China’s ‘iPhone city’ said Turmoil at Apple Inc’s key manufacturing hub in Zhengzhou is likely to result in a production shortfall of almost 6 million iPhone Pro units this year, a person familiar with assembly operations said. The situation remains fluid at the plant and the estimate of lost production could change, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private information. Much depends on how quickly Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), the Taiwanese company that operates the facility, can get people back to assembly lines after violent protests against COVID-19 restrictions. If lockdowns continue in the weeks ahead, production could be set further
’INHERENT VULNERABILITIES’: The country has been working with the US to build its own lithium and rare earth mines in a bid to curb China’s dominance in the market Australia is vowing more assertive scrutiny of foreign investments in key commodities tied to electric vehicles and clean energy, in a potential warning to China which dominates the market. Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has asked the country’s Treasury to work with the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board and other stakeholders to undertake a review of foreign investment in sectors such as lithium and rare earths, he told a conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’ll need to be more assertive about encouraging investment that clearly aligns with our national interest in the longer term,” Chalmers said. Although Chalmers did not directly identify China investment as
HOLIDAY SEASON OMEN: Low-cost brands and high-end retailers had the most foot traffic, leaving mid-range stores struggling on what used to be their biggest sales day US retailers discounted heavily on Black Friday to clear out bloated inventories, but customers responded with only modest traffic, leaving profitability in doubt for many chains. Brick-and-mortar retailers, which were hit hard by COVID-19 closures and shoppers seeking to avoid the virus, saw in-store traffic on Friday tick up 2.9 percent from last year’s shopping event, data compiled by Sensormatic Solutions showed. US consumers are still spending, but they are growing more cautious after contending this year with the highest inflation rates in four decades. They are also keeping a sharper lookout for deals, and retailers — many of them still heavy
RSS