Taiwan’s power supply could collapse if the Taichung Power Plant goes coal-free by 2028, as it accounts for 14 percent of the nation’s power supply, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) chairman Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said today.
The comment came after lawmakers today approved a motion proposed by opposition lawmakers to phase out coal use at the plant by 2028.
The motion, also requiring the plant to implement annual carbon reduction plans, was proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔), Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪), Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), as well as Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷).
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
Tseng said that the legislature needs to consider overall future development, including the impact of the Taichung Power Plant going coal-free by 2028.
The plant’s capacity is 5.5 million kilowatts, which accounts for more than 15 percent of Taiwan’s power supply, Tseng said.
Taipower has committed to operating only nine of the plant’s 10 units, still generating up to 5 million kilowatts and accounting for 14 percent of the nation’s power supply, he said.
If this power supply is to be eliminated by 2028, the opposition parties need to consider suitable and stable alternative sources of energy and propose possibilities for discussion, Tseng said.
Giving a related example, Tseng said: “If comprehensive tax cuts were proposed, I believe all of Taiwan would support it, but where would funding come from?”
Taiwan’s current power system might collapse if it goes coal-free by 2028, he said.
Opposition parties have also proposed a referendum advocating to extend the life of nuclear power plants.
This came after the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s No. 2 reactor was decommissioned on May 17, officially making Taiwan nuclear free.
Taipower would conduct nuclear safety assessments based on regulations set by the competent authority, Tseng said.
The safety evaluation for extending the life of nuclear power plants is very rigorous, and Taipower would publicly report its assessment results so that people can make an informed decision, he added.
If nuclear power were to make up for the power generated by the Taichung Power Plant, it would require all three of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants to resume their operations, not only Ma-anshan, he said.
Regarding Taichung Power Plant’s future plans, as natural gas units begin operating, two coal-fired units would be dismantled next year and another two in 2031, with the remaining six units to be converted into emergency backup power facilities, Tseng said.
Supposing that eight coal-fired until are operating in 2028, the plant would maintain a power supply of 4 million kilowatts, he said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS