Environmental group vows legal action over Keelung power plant plans

Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) Environmental activists on Wednesday vowed to take legal action against Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) over plans to convert an oil-fired power plant into a gas-fired facility approved by the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) earlier that day.

The "Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group" (守護外木山行動小組) said on Facebook that Taipower violated environmental laws by failing to disclose key information seven days before the environmental assessment impact meeting held in Taipei.

The group said it would file a criminal complaint against Taiwan's state-owned power company to "revoke the illegal environmental assessment" authorizing the project's go-ahead, citing Article 11 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.

The group also criticized the actions of the MOENV's Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee -- which ultimately approved Taipower's plans -- for "disappearing into a secret room."

The activists were referring to the committee's decision to continue discussing the plans in a closed-door session that included the media and government agencies but excluded the protesters after the public meeting descended into scuffles between those for and against the proposed plans.

The group also criticized the use of police force to bar them from entering the closed session.

However, the MOENV said in a statement later on Wednesday that it "severely condemned the violence" and praised the Seventh Special Police Corps for "helping protect" the committee members.

Taipower's plans to convert the Hsieh-ho Power Plant in Keelung City from an oil-fired to a gas-fired facility, and build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal nearby, have now cleared the second-stage environmental impact assessment, marking a major step towards the project's realization.

The plans had already been considered at six preliminary second-stage meetings since 2018, in accordance with MOENV protocol.

Taipower has argued that the refitting is necessary to "stabilize the power supply" and "improve air quality" in northern and northeastern parts of the country, which it said currently has a demand of 6 million kilowatts.

The plans have raised concerns over pollution, with the environmental group accusing Taipower of concealing evidence of polychlorinated biphenyl soil contamination.

In a press release on Wednesday, Taipower promised to complete "remediation work on contaminated land in compliance with the Soil and Groundwater Pollution Remediation Act" before beginning formal construction work on refitting the plant's power generation units.

The company also denied the activists' accusation that it concealed key data.

According to Taipower, the company "investigated and provided all the information required by the environmental impact assessment in accordance with the law."

It also said it had already adjusted its plans in response to "local concerns" over coral reef environments, shifting the site's location and reducing the scale of the land reclamation works that building the planned LNG receiving terminal would entail.

Located on Taiwan's northern coastline near Keelung City's urban core, Hsieh-ho Power Plant currently has two oil-fired units each capable of producing 500 megawatts each that began operating in 1980 and 1985, according to information on Taipower's website.

Taipower's plans are in line with Taiwan's official energy strategy, which is to "promote green energy, increase natural gas, reduce coal-fired, achieve nuclear-free," according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs' website.