Taipower Power Co (Taipower, 台電) yesterday vowed to reduce coal use during “air pollution season” after the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) late on Tuesday rescinded the Taichung City Government’s sanctions on the state-run utility.
Citing Article 117 of the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法), the EPA overruled the city government’s decision last month to revoke Taipower’s operating licenses for two of its coal-fired generators at Taichung Power Plant (台中電廠) to reduce the city’s air pollution.
The city government basing the sanctions on a volatile set of rules was unlawful, the EPA said, adding that Taipower has not breached the city government’s coal use limit over the past year, contrary to Taichung’s claim.
As a result, Taipower can temporarily resume the use of its No. 2 and No. 3 generators at the facility until the Taichung Legal Affairs Bureau reaches a final decision.
“While we have not reactivated the two generators yet, as they need to undergo routine repairs … the EPA has given us the legroom that we desperately need,” Taipower chief engineer and spokesman Hsu Tsao-hua (徐造華) said by telephone, adding that the company can now better maintain its power reserve margin at more than 10 percent.
Taipower has yet to set a definitive timeline to restart the generators, which “would depend on other factors, including the current level of energy consumption, as well as the air quality,” Hsu said.
Taipower aims to lower coal use to 12.6 million tonnes this year, he said.
The utility plans to shut down three of 10 generators at the plant at the start of October, when air quality deteriorates as seasonal winds carrying pollutants from China sweep over Taiwan, he added.
“Moreover, the remaining seven generators would only function at the same level as six generators running at full capacity … translating into a 40 percent reduction in coal use,” Hsu said.
The company is also increasing its use of natural gas for energy generation, he said, pointing to a new gas-fired unit installed at the Tunghsiao Power Plant (通霄電廠) in Miaoli County.
“An additional 109 million kilowatts would be integrated into our power grid by May … just before the summer,” Hsu said.
Electricity from Taipower’s gas-fired generators last year surpassed that of coal-fired generators, company data showed.
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