Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower) Dalin Plant in Kaohsiung City received the go-ahead yesterday to replace its five generators with two 800,000 megawatt ones, ending a two-year standoff between the company and the Kaohsiung City Government, environmentalists and local residents opposed to the project.
The company originally proposed replacing the 40-year-old generators with four new ones. Taipower spokeswoman and lead engineer Tu Yueh-yuan (杜悅元) said the new ones would be cleaner because they would be fitted with high-efficiency pollution prevention equipment.
The four new generators were essential for providing electricity to southern Taiwan, Tu said.
To make up for the additional 11 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year and 341 tonnes of particulates the generators would produce — 1.5 times the current amount — Tu said Taipower was prepared to trade carbon credits or plant trees overseas so that its carbon emission levels would remain the same, while the particulates would be cut in half.
Because the Environmental Protection Administration’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) panel’s case committee had previously proposed Taipower cut the number of replacements to two, the focus of debate at yesterday’s EIA meeting was whether two or four generators would be installed.
Opponents said that with the additional carbon and emissions, “The lungs of Kaohsiung citizens would be Taiwan’s air purifier.”
“Our position is that the pollutants must be cut in half and our carbon emissions must be reduced,” Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Li Yung-de (李永德) said. “With the increased generators, it is as if we are choosing between being raped two times or four.”
“Can Taiwanese accept suffering from the extra carbon emissions while we trade carbon with foreign countries and plant trees in China or Brazil?” he said.
Resident association representative Wang Min-ling (王敏玲) said environmental pollutants lead to heart and lung diseases and the life expectancy of Kaohsiung residents was four years less than Taipei residents.
“Everyone knows Kaohsiung’s particulate concentration is much higher than the north … I have waited four hours outside this meeting room just so I can come in and tell you this: You are bullying us, and by planning to expand the Dalin Power Plant you are increasing the north-south imbalance,” Wang said.
Taiwan needs sustainable industries, not more coal-burning power plants, Wang said.
After four hours of heated delbate, Li told the meeting: “I don’t want to tell you what Kaohsiung is prepared to do if the four-generator proposal is passed. If that were to happen, I am prepared to sacrifice my personal and political life to make sure that not a single generator is built.”
The EIA panelists voted to conditionally pass the two-generator proposal and Tu said Taipower would not appeal.
“This meeting was our appeal and it failed,” she said, adding later: “We will go back to the office and discuss if we will accept the decision.”
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS