Environmental protection groups yesterday demanded that the Ministry of Environment write Taiwan Power Co’s (台電, Taipower) promise into law and pledge that future burning of liquefied natural gas (LNG) would not produce any sulfur dioxide.
The Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association made the remarks at the ministry’s review meeting on Taipower’s project to transform the Hsieh-ho Power Plant (協和電廠) from an oil-fired facility into one powered by natural gas, as well as a land reclamation off Keelung’s Waimushan (外木山) to build a fourth LNG terminal.
Taipower recently said that live tests of its gas turbine engines showed nearly zero sulfur dioxide exhaust.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The group accused Taipower of making false claims, citing the company’s environmental assessment report for the planned LNG receiving terminal, which showed an annual exhaust of 242.7 tonnes of sulfur dioxide.
The Wild at Heart group said if Taipower stood by its claims, it should be written into law.
Waimushan Conservation Action convener Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) said that the construction of the LNG plant meant the building of a dyke that would affect the safety of ships entering and exiting Keelung Harbor, as well as ships berthing near the LNG terminal.
Keelung Sustainable Development Youth Action Alliance chairperson Chen Wei-chung (陳薇仲) said Taipower should solicit opinions from the Ministry of National Defense, as the plant is located near a military port and might become a target in the event of an invasion.
Former New Power Party legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said environmental assessments still rely on permits to control air pollution instead of basing such controls on emission quantity.
Keelung City Councilor Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) said that Keelung should adopt green energy sources, instead of large LNG storage tanks.
Other representatives present at the meeting expressed support for the construction of the LNG terminal, citing stable power generation as a fundamental part of driving Keelung’s development, such as attracting companies like Nvidia to the region.
Some borough wardens and residents rejected environmental protection groups’ claims that they had been “bought off” by Taipower.
Local diving coach Wang Ming-hsiang (王銘祥) said he had opposed the construction during its initial proposals as the location of the plant and the proposed reclamation area was unreasonable.
However, he saw Taipower’s amended proposal, which now conserved coral reefs in the region, as an act of goodwill, and said people should consider the issue as a whole and avoid radical environmentalism.
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