Postponement of Air Pollution Control Act Amendment Review to Avoid Power Plant Shutdowns; Taipower Thanks Parliament for Open Discussion
Taipower welcomed the Legislative Yuan's decision to postpone the review of the 'Air Pollution Control Act' amendment. Taipower had feared that the amendment could lead to power plant shutdowns and unstable national power supply due to delayed local government reviews or fuel use restrictions. The company expressed gratitude to Parliament for considering power supply stability.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 21:12
- 🔍 Collected: April 29, 2026 at 21:31 (19 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 02:43 (5h 12m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Chun-ting, Taipei, 29th) The Legislative Yuan decided to postpone the review of the 'Air Pollution Control Act' amendment. Taipower stated today that this amendment could force power generating units to shut down due to delayed local government reviews or restrictions on fuel use, impacting national power supply. It thanked Parliament for prioritizing the well-being of the people and allowing relevant proposals to be discussed again, emphasizing that power is national strength and hoping that the Legislative Yuan will seriously consider the impact on power supply during subsequent reviews.
Taipower pointed out in a press release that power supply is crucial for national security and industrial development. Power plants connect science parks, metropolitan areas, and various industrial clusters through the power grid, affecting each other. Stable power supply is especially important for supporting key industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. According to the content of the amendment, if local government reviews are delayed during the application period for permit extensions, leading to the inability to complete extensions before permits expire, generating units will lose the buffer protection of 'operating under the original permit,' which could force them to shut down and affect power supply stability.
In addition, some articles authorize local governments to tighten emission standards, require reductions in fuel consumption, or even prohibit the use of specific fuels for power generation. Taipower stated that if a single local government restricts power plant operations by administrative order, it could affect national power supply, impacting not only a single county or city but also potentially the overall livelihood and industrial development.
Regarding air pollution improvement, Taipower noted that in recent years, it has continuously made improvements through diversified measures such as environmental dispatch, equipment upgrades, and 'replacing coal with gas.' Over the past 10 years, air pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants have been reduced by over 40,000 metric tons, a reduction of 77%.
Taking the Taichung Power Plant as an example, Taipower has invested NT$44.1 billion to upgrade air pollution control equipment, reducing emissions from approximately 38,400 metric tons in 2016 to about 7,800 metric tons in 2025, a reduction of about 80%. Four coal-fired units at the Hsingta Power Plant in Kaohsiung have all been converted to standby, and existing gas-fired units have invested about NT$12.5 billion in equipment refurbishment, reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by over 50% and overall air pollution by 92%.
Taipower emphasized that even with the current air pollution control mechanism, it will continue to promote pollution reduction measures, and the results can be publicly evaluated. Power must be supplied stably 24 hours a day. The wide-ranging impact of this amendment prompted Taipower to hope that Parliament will carefully consider the impact on power supply during subsequent reviews, balancing people's livelihood, economic development, and national security. (Editor: Yang Kai-hsiang) 1150429
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(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Chun-ting, Taipei, 29th) The Legislative Yuan decided to postpone the review of the 'Air Pollution Control Act' amendment. Taipower stated today that this amendment could force power generating units to shut down due to delayed local government reviews or restrictions on fuel use, impacting national power supply. It thanked Parliament for prioritizing the well-being of the people and allowing relevant proposals to be discussed again, emphasizing that power is national strength and hoping that the Legislative Yuan will seriously consider the impact on power supply during subsequent reviews.
Taipower pointed out in a press release that power supply is crucial for national security and industrial development. Power plants connect science parks, metropolitan areas, and various industrial clusters through the power grid, affecting each other. Stable power supply is especially important for supporting key industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. According to the content of the amendment, if local government reviews are delayed during the application period for permit extensions, leading to the inability to complete extensions before permits expire, generating units will lose the buffer protection of 'operating under the original permit,' which could force them to shut down and affect power supply stability.
In addition, some articles authorize local governments to tighten emission standards, require reductions in fuel consumption, or even prohibit the use of specific fuels for power generation. Taipower stated that if a single local government restricts power plant operations by administrative order, it could affect national power supply, impacting not only a single county or city but also potentially the overall livelihood and industrial development.
Regarding air pollution improvement, Taipower noted that in recent years, it has continuously made improvements through diversified measures such as environmental dispatch, equipment upgrades, and 'replacing coal with gas.' Over the past 10 years, air pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants have been reduced by over 40,000 metric tons, a reduction of 77%.
Taking the Taichung Power Plant as an example, Taipower has invested NT$44.1 billion to upgrade air pollution control equipment, reducing emissions from approximately 38,400 metric tons in 2016 to about 7,800 metric tons in 2025, a reduction of about 80%. Four coal-fired units at the Hsingta Power Plant in Kaohsiung have all been converted to standby, and existing gas-fired units have invested about NT$12.5 billion in equipment refurbishment, reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by over 50% and overall air pollution by 92%.
Taipower emphasized that even with the current air pollution control mechanism, it will continue to promote pollution reduction measures, and the results can be publicly evaluated. Power must be supplied stably 24 hours a day. The wide-ranging impact of this amendment prompted Taipower to hope that Parliament will carefully consider the impact on power supply during subsequent reviews, balancing people's livelihood, economic development, and national security. (Editor: Yang Kai-hsiang) 1150429
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's 'First Hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.