The Taichung Power Plant would phase out its coal-fired power generation facilities by the end of 2034, one year ahead of schedule, transitioning to natural gas to reduce Taiwan’s main source of air pollution, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Friday.
To achieve this goal, state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電), which operates the country’s largest coal-fired power plant, would be required to expedite gas facility construction, Cho said during an inspection of the plant.
Cho visited the plant amid ongoing debates over a recently completed environmental impact assessment that approved the second phase of the plant’s new gas-fired generators installation plan.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
Under the government’s two gas-fired units installation plans, four of the nation’s 10 existing coal-fired units would be dismantled, while the remaining six would be decommissioned and kept offline unless needed in cases of emergency.
Cho said that the plant would generate power without the use of coal by the end of 2034.
After that, the six coal-fired reserve generators would only be activated in cases of national security or natural disasters, he said.
Local governments would be notified when the units are to be activated, and coal usage would be kept to less than 1 percent of current levels, Cho added.
In 2032, the government would evaluate whether the six emergency coal-fired units would still be needed, he said.
The Taichung Power Plant would have eight coal-fired units and two natural gas-fired power generators by the end of 2028, Taipower said.
Afterward, the plant would dismantle its two coal-fired units, gradually decommission the remaining ones while keeping them on standby, and introduce four new gas-fired generators, it said.
Although the government has said that the transition would reduce air pollution by 88 percent, opposition lawmakers questioned why the decommissioned units are being retained.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS