Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 29 2022

AsiaElec GAS GENERATION AsiaElec

Taiwan plans new LNG facilities

to boost gas generation

TAIWAN TAIWAN’S CPC Corp. has started construction The proposed site of the plant was opposed
of a new LNG storage facility at its existing Tai- by environmentalists, but a national referendum
chung LNG receiving terminal. held late last year resulted in the location near the
State-run CPC said the project is headed by Taipower site being approved by the electorate.
US construction giant Bechtel Corporation and Meanwhile, Taiwan Power Co. is planning to
is part of the phase 3 expansion plan for Tai- build an LNG import terminal at Keelung. The
chung. When completed in 2026, two new stor- terminal will be Taiwan’s fourth LNG delivery
age tanks, each with a capacity 180mn litres, will point and is designed to enable the conversion
raise CPC’s annual supply capability to 10mn of the 2,000-MW oil-burning Hsieh-ho Power
tonnes. Plant to a gas-fired facility.
A number of high-ranking Taiwanese offi- The proposal has also been controversial due
cials attended the ground-breaking ceremony to its proposed locations. The first location near
for the storage facility along with the director of Waimushan was opposed because it endangered
the American Institute in Taiwan, Sandra Oud- a coral reef. The currently proposed site near the
kirk, who expressed US support for Taiwan’s port of Keelung has drawn criticism because of
efforts to make the transition always from coal fears that it could interfere with port traffic.
to cleaner energy sources. Taiwan is planning to phase out its use of
Oudkirk said the Taichung LNG project is nuclear power by 2025 and replace it with nat-
the best example of US-Taiwan co-operation ural gas and renewable energy sources. By that
in the energy sector and can be celebrated as an time, 50% of power generation is predicted to
achievement under the US-Taiwan Technology, come from natural gas.
Trade and Investment Collaboration agreement. During 2021, Taiwan relied on LNG for
CPC is planning the construction of its third 37.2% of its energy. Coal accounted for 44.3%,
LNG import terminal in the Guantang Industrial nuclear 9.55%, oil 1.83% and hydropower 1.09%.
District in northern Taiwan. The LNG supply is Taiwan imports around 18mn tpy of LNG,
intended to enable the expansion of Taipower’s most of which is purchased through long-term
Datan Power Plant. The terminal is scheduled contracts. Its suppliers include Australia, Qatar,
to come into operation in 2023 with an initial the US and Papua New Guinea. A contract for
capacity of 3mnn tonnes per year and an option Russian LNG from Sakhalin ended earlier this
to expand to 6mn tpy. year. ™

Week 29 20•July•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9