Opposition 2028 Taichung plant proposal could deter investment: MOEA

Taipei, June 5 (CNA) If adopted, the opposition's nonbinding proposal to end the use of coal at Taichung Power Plant by 2028 could undermine the willingness of high-tech businesses to choose the city as an investment location, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Thursday.

Taichung's electricity demand has exceeded the annual power generation of the coal-fired Taichung Power Plant since 2019, with a shortfall of 4.5 billion kilowatt-hours covered by power plants in other counties and cities, the MOEA said in a press release.

Were the plant to stop generating electricity from coal by 2028, as demanded by opposition lawmakers, "it would not only disrupt electricity supply but could also discourage future high-tech industry investment in Taichung," the MOEA said.

The MOEA was responding to an opposition-backed nonbinding resolution adopted by the Legislature on Tuesday, which called for all 10 coal-fired units at the plant be decommissioned by 2028 -- six years earlier than the government's target of 2034.

Under the MOEA's plan, in Phase 1, two new gas units will begin operating in 2025 and 2026, with coal units 1 and 2 shut down, and units 3 and 4 retained as backup. The remaining six coal units will continue operating as usual.

In Phase 2 of the plant's transformation, a new gas unit will start in 2031, and coal units 3 and 4 will be shut down. Over the next three years, one gas unit will be added each year, and two coal units will become backup through 2034.

Citing concerns over air pollution produced by the plant, opposition lawmakers argued that the plant's coal phase-out could be scheduled sooner, especially with Phase 1 of the government's project and the privately owned Chung Chia gas-fired power plant expected to be completed within the next two years.

In its argument, the MOEA said the government's policy -- opting against the construction of new coal-fired units and replacing existing ones with gas-fired alternatives -- has been effective in cutting carbon dioxide emissions and improving air quality.

In terms of carbon reduction, the amount of greenhouse gas (typically measured as carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO₂e) emitted per unit of electricity generated dropped significantly from 0.554 kgCO₂e in 2016 to 0.474 kgCO₂e in 2024, the ministry said.

Regarding air pollution, emissions associated with the power plants operated by the state-run Taipower fell from 107,000 metric tons in 2016 to 34,000 metric tons in 2024 -- a reduction of about 70 percent, the MOEA added.

Furthermore, the consumption of coal at Taichung Power Plant fell to 12.08 million tons in 2024, a historic low and over 6 million tons less than the 2014 peak under the previous KMT administration, the MOEA said.

The ministry said it will continue to advance the energy transition by expanding use of renewables, developing hydrogen and ammonia technologies, and applying carbon capture to power plants to achieve the government's 2050 net-zero goal.