The Cabinet yesterday defended a controversial plan to reactivate the coal-fired Shenao Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳), saying the clean coal technology to be employed could help lessen the environmental impact of the plant.
State-run Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower) plan to “restart and upgrade” the plant, which was decommissioned in 2007 and torn down, was approved on Wednesday last week. The planned use of coal-fired generators has sparked environmental concern, although the Taipower has proposed using ultra-supercritical power generation technology to reduce emissions.
Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said that “clean coal technology” is an academic term describing coal-fired power generation technologies with lower harmful emissions levels comparable to those of natural gas-fired power plants.
“The coal to be used at power plants is sifted and washed to remove pollutants before being burnt,” Hsu said. “It is how clean coal is produced.”
Even Germany, where renewable energy makes up 30 percent of all power generation, still uses coal-fired power stations, Hsu said, calling on the public to examine the Shenao plant proposal “with scientific rigor.”
While reaffirming the government’s objectives to phase out nuclear power and raise the percentage of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2025, Hsu said the reactivation of the Shenao plant would be necessary to ensure stability of power supply until renewable power generation picks up.
Northern Taiwan consumes about 40 percent of Taiwan’s electricity and the area could face power shortages following the decommissioning of Hsieh-ho Power Plant in Keelung, and Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant and Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said.
“The best option... is to equip the [Shenao] plant with the most advanced facilities and pollution prevention equipment while using the most efficient coal technologies,” Lai said.
The coal-fired Linkou Power Plant in New Taipei City and the Dalin Power Plant in Kaohsiung are each fitted with advanced pollutant capture equipment, and two sets of the same equipment would be installed at the Shenao plant to reduce emissions, the Cabinet said.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS