Taipower Temporarily Dispatches Mailiao Power Plant; KMT: Energy Policy Completely Fails
Taipower is temporarily dispatching Mailiao power plant units due to global energy supply uncertainty, drawing criticism from the KMT who claim it exposes the current energy policy's over-reliance on natural gas and structural fragility.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 12:16
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 13:00 (44 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 13:15 (288h 14m after Collected)
Affected by the Middle East situation, global energy supply continues to be shrouded in uncertainty. Taipower stated that to strengthen energy dispatch resilience, it will temporarily dispatch units 1 and 3 of the Mailiao Power Plant, but the total annual coal consumption will not exceed that of last year.
The KMT issued a press release pointing out that units 1 and 3 of the Mailiao Power Plant were originally being processed for decommissioning, and local residents, who have endured air pollution for many years, have long expected the coal-fired units to exit sooner. Now, Taipower, under the guise of 'temporary dispatch,' is bringing the coal-fired units back online, which is tantamount to a disguised extension of their operational life. What is even more noteworthy is that Taipower admitted this move is to cope with the risk of natural gas supply and reduce the impact on people's livelihoods and electricity prices, which is equivalent to directly admitting that the current energy mix of the Democratic Progressive Party is not only costly but also structurally fragile.
The KMT questions the government's constant boasting about stable power supply and improved energy resilience, but when regional situations fluctuate, it turns back to coal-fired units for rescue, which perfectly exposes the truth of the DPP's long-term over-reliance on natural gas and neglect of the risks of diversified energy allocation.
The KMT emphasizes that 'shouting for transformation during normal times and burning coal in emergencies' has become the most embarrassing portrayal of the DPP's energy policy. It demands that the government stop playing word games and honestly face the core issues of imbalanced energy allocation, electricity price pressure, and power supply risks, and clearly explain the deadline for coal dispatch, the calculation method for coal usage increase/decrease, and the impact of air pollution and remedial measures, so that the public and the environment do not continue to pay for misguided policies. (Editors: Wan Shu-chang, Chang Ruo-yao) 1150408
The KMT issued a press release pointing out that units 1 and 3 of the Mailiao Power Plant were originally being processed for decommissioning, and local residents, who have endured air pollution for many years, have long expected the coal-fired units to exit sooner. Now, Taipower, under the guise of 'temporary dispatch,' is bringing the coal-fired units back online, which is tantamount to a disguised extension of their operational life. What is even more noteworthy is that Taipower admitted this move is to cope with the risk of natural gas supply and reduce the impact on people's livelihoods and electricity prices, which is equivalent to directly admitting that the current energy mix of the Democratic Progressive Party is not only costly but also structurally fragile.
The KMT questions the government's constant boasting about stable power supply and improved energy resilience, but when regional situations fluctuate, it turns back to coal-fired units for rescue, which perfectly exposes the truth of the DPP's long-term over-reliance on natural gas and neglect of the risks of diversified energy allocation.
The KMT emphasizes that 'shouting for transformation during normal times and burning coal in emergencies' has become the most embarrassing portrayal of the DPP's energy policy. It demands that the government stop playing word games and honestly face the core issues of imbalanced energy allocation, electricity price pressure, and power supply risks, and clearly explain the deadline for coal dispatch, the calculation method for coal usage increase/decrease, and the impact of air pollution and remedial measures, so that the public and the environment do not continue to pay for misguided policies. (Editors: Wan Shu-chang, Chang Ruo-yao) 1150408