Pan Chong-cheng (???), convener of the Algae Reef Reservation Alliance, said Tuesday that it would only take 5.5 years for the government to relocate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project in Datan, Taoyuan, to an area covering piers N7-N9 at the Port of Taipei in New Taipei.
Pan, who has initiated a referendum seeking the relocation of the project, said he has never opposed the construction of the LNG plant per se, only its location on the algal reef and negative impact on the local ecosystem.
The referendum, which is slated for Dec. 18, asks: "Do you agree that CPC Corp., Taiwan's third liquefied natural gas terminal should be relocated from its planned site on the algal reef coast of Datan, Taoyuan, and its adjacent waters?"
Pan and other environmentalists have argued that the reef, which extends 27 kilometers along the coast, took at least 5,000 years to form and is the largest of its kind in the world.
The reef also has rich biodiversity and is home to endangered coral species, polycyathus chaishanensis, and hammerhead sharks that are listed on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.
In response, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement that the new proposal would take 11 years and face local opposition as well as having other potential environmental impacts to northern Taiwan's coastline resulting from the use of more LNG pipelines.
The ministry said a revised project it proposed earlier this year, which extends the distance of the LNG terminal from the coast to 1.2 kilometers, is the best solution for protecting the environment.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications also said that LNG operations at the Port of Taipei, one of the country's major cargo ports, could lead to safety concerns.
LNG ships carrying hazardous materials and are required to keep a reasonable distance from regular ships, transport officials said.
Considering the size of the port, the introduction of LNG operations could cause disruptions to ordinary cargo shipping, according to the ministry.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel