The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on Tuesday passed an initial environmental impact evaluation of a Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) project to build three gas turbines at Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung.
The decision came after an agency task force met for the fourth time to deliberate the state-run energy company’s plans for the plant.
Originally, Taipower had intended to take the plant’s coal-fired units and gas turbines offline only after the newer, more efficient combined-cycle gas turbines are completed, a plan environmental groups panned as being too conservative.
The task force approved the project following a statement by Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) saying that two of the coal-fired units at the plant would be shut down in autumn and winter.
The plant currently operates nine generating units, of which four are coal-fired and five are older gas turbines, Taipower told the agency.
Three new gas turbines with a combined output of nearly 3.9 megawatts are to be built on an adjacent property owned by Taipower and their completion is projected for 2023, it said.
Taipower presented its schedule for decommissioning the existing units, with the coal-fired generators to be shut down from 2023 to 2026, followed by the existing gas turbines in 2026 and 2027.
However, members of the task force demurred, saying that the schedule was too slow, especially with regard to Hsinta’s coal-fired No. 3 and No. 4 units, which combined produce less than 1 megawatt, but would, under the proposal, stay operational until 2025 and 2026 respectively.
The company prefers having coal in reserve until the supply of natural gas is boosted by upgrades to port terminals in Kaohsiung and Taichung, Taipower officials said, adding that in their view, shelving coal by 2023 would increase uncertainty over the supply of energy.
Tseng told the task force that instead of reducing the energy load on existing coal-fired units in Hsinta, two of the plants would be shut down in autumn and winter, which should result in an immediate reduction in air pollution and carbon emissions.
The task force agreed to allow the project to pass to the consideration of the agency’s environmental impact evaluation committee with the addendum that Taipower must submit a more detailed study of the plant and animal species in the area, and their population and distribution.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS