Taoyuan says it will continue to fight MOEA over SRF plant ruling

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) The Taoyuan City government on Thursday said it would continue to fight a Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) ruling that voided the city's denial of permits for three solid recovered fuel (SRF) plants.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the city government slammed the economics ministry for not siding with Taoyuan residents and said it would explore possible follow-up legal action.

On Wednesday, the MOEA Petitions and Appeals Committee said the ministry's rescinding of nonbinding letters of recommendation could not be used to block construction of SRF plants by Cleanaway Co. Ltd., Taiwan Cube Energy Co. Ltd. and Li Jiang Development Co.

In March, the Taoyuan City government revoked its approval for the SRF plants, arguing that the letters of recommendation were "necessary."

According to the city government, it initially agreed to grant an exemption for the SRF plant projects -- which did not meet Taoyuan Science and Technology Park regulations -- due to the ministry's letters of recommendation and in line with the national renewable energy policy.

The MOEA rescinded the recommendation letters in the wake of protests from local residents in November 2023.

Shortly after, Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng (張善政) canceled local permits granted to the three companies, arguing that without the letters, the application procedures for the SRF plants were incomplete.

Cleanaway challenged the decision, and, on June 6, the MOEA said that the "advisory" letters of recommendation did not provide legal grounds for Taoyuan to revoke SRF permits.

However, Taoyuan again rejected the SRF plant applications on Aug. 8, leading the three companies to file a second appeal with the MOEA.

On Wednesday, the MOEA reaffirmed its position that there was currently no legal basis for the Taoyuan City government to reject the SRF plant applications.

SRF refers to fuel produced by shredding and drying commercial waste such as paper, plastics, textiles and wood. It has the advantage of taking resources that might otherwise be incinerated or dumped in landfills and turning them into energy.

While advocates say SRFs generate fewer emissions than coal when used to produce electricity, critics say they can potentially produce pollution as well as disincentivize recycling.