Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: Outlookxp/WikiCommons/CC BY-SA 4.0
CHANGHUA RESIDENTS demonstrated outside of the Ministry of Environment late last month in a demonstration against a wind power project. Demonstrators were from Dacheng Township, where a developer currently plans three wind power turbines on a coastal levee. The wind power turbines would generate a combined 12.78 megawatts.
In particular, the wind power project is a rare example of a development project that did not pass an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), with the recommendation of the panel that the project not proceed after three meetings. Between 2020 and 2023, all projects were approved by the Ministry of Environment.
However, with the assessment now submitted to the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee to make a decision on the project, it is to be noted that the project already received permits earlier this year. Last year, developers were accused of prematurely beginning construction on the project.
Local residents have criticized the project on a number of grounds. For one, a number of residences and barns are nearby. Although development plans state that there are 12 homes nearby, within 500 meters of the turbines, in actuality, there are 80 houses. And though original plans were for four turbines, scaling this back to three turbines, this still affects homes in the vicinity. Some homes are only 65 meters away from wind turbines, while schools are 1,300 meters away. Many residents of the area are elderly farmers. Furthermore, experts have warned that the soil in the area is vulnerable to liquefaction.
To this extent, the project is significant for agriculture, aquaculture, and biodiversity in the area. 70% of Taiwan’s national supply of freshwater clams is farmed in the area, an industry worth more than 200 million NT. 40% of Changhua duck farming is also in the area. Noise frequencies from turbines are thought to affect milkfish and clams farmed in the area, as well as other livestock such as ducks, hens, sheep, and pigs. Indeed, when demonstrating outside of the Ministry of Environment, protesters brought local ducks.
The area is also a significant nesting site for birds, important for waterfowl and other bird species. There were one hundred sightings of the endangered black-faced spoonbills around the proposed site earlier this year, but developers did not take this into consideration of their plans.
Apart from the impact of the wind turbines themselves, environmental NGOs in Changhua have raised the possibility of oil leaks or damaged blades proving dangerous.
Though the project is located in Dacheng Township, other townships such as Donggang, Xigang, and Dingzhuang may also be affected. The Donggang Township chief collected 300 signatures from residents opposing the development, with fears that the project will further lead to the decline of agricultural communities in the area that have already had to pivot between agriculture and aquaculture, given economic hardship. Nevertheless, the developer claims that the majority of local residents support the project, and that shutdown periods will be implemented to prevent impact from noise frequencies and flickering shadows from turbines on the local community.
This is not the first time that wind power projects have led to such controversy. Although wind power can contribute to Taiwan’s renewable power supply, oftentimes the means by which such projects are implemented is in a top-down fashion, disregarding the views of local residents. Moreover, it is a recurring pattern that land used for agriculture or aquaculture is used for renewable energy projects such as wind and solar power farms, leading to pushback from local residents–sometimes farming or Indigenous communities.
It is to be seen how the Ministry of Environment rules on the issue. Sometimes it is the case that EIAs are shrugged off in favor of a continued push to development. But if so, protests from local residents are likely to continue.