Page 9 - GLNG Week 29 2022

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Taiwan plans new LNG import

facilities

IMPORTS 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 Taipower site being approved by the electorate.
by US construction giant Bechtel Corporation Meanwhile, Taiwan Power Co. is planning to
and is part of the phase 3 expansion plan for build an LNG import terminal at Keelung. The
Taichung. When completed in 2026, two new terminal will be Taiwan’s fourth LNG delivery
storage tanks, each with a capacity 180mn litres, point and is designed to enable the conversion
will 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 for to its proposed locations. The first location near
the storage facility along with the director of the Waimushan was opposed because it endangered
American Institute in Taiwan, Sandra Oudkirk, a coral reef. The currently proposed site near the
who expressed US support for Taiwan’s efforts to port of Keelung has drawn criticism because of
make the transition always from coal to cleaner fears that it could interfere with port traffic.
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 natural
the best example of US-Taiwan co-operation gas and renewable energy sources. By that time,
in the energy sector and can be celebrated as an 50% of power generation is predicted to come
achievement under the US-Taiwan Technology, 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 aiwan 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 22•July•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9