Yeh Jiunn-Horng, director-general at the EPA’s department of comprehensive planning, said: “We approved only two units out of four requested for two reasons -Taipower’s power demand growth was perhaps overly optimistic and the pollutant emission reduction they promised was not enough.”
Tu Yueh-Yuan, company spokeswoman and chief engineer informed that the company intended to construct four new coal-fired units with a power generation capacity of 800MW each, which replaces its existing six units that has a total power generation capacity of 1800MW. Since 2007, the renewal plan was pending for environmental approval.
Tu Yueh-Yuan, said: “First they asked us not to increase pollutants, then they asked us to cut them in half, but even that wasn’t enough. We really hope we can build four units, because we have enough space and building only two units would be not economical.”
Presently, Taiwan power needs are 44% depended on coal. Tu informed that the company has not yet decided whether to appeal the EPA’s decision. The original estimated budget for the four units totaled NT$180 billion.
Tu continued that the company will have to revise the estimates and the schedule that expected to commence the commercial service of the first unit in 2016.
