Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: Leonard Reback/WikiCommons/CC BY-SA 4.0
ENVIRONMENTALISTS HELD a demonstration in Taichung late last month, calling for an end to development for liquified natural gas (LNG) storage by CPC. Plans are for eight 180,000-kiloliter gas storage tanks to be built in the Port of Taichung by reclaiming over 60 hectares of land.
According to environmentalists, the storage expansion would threaten the habitat of the critically endangered Taiwanese white dolphin. Environmentalists have been critical of the fact that the land reclamation would likely destroy the habitat of the white dolphin, of which there are fewer than 50 individuals remaining. 14 white dolphins were recently spotted in waters set to be reclaimed, with LNG storage capacity set for expansion with projects conducted by both CPC and Taipower.
Environmentalists were critical of the transition toward LNG, too, as part of Taiwan’s renewable energy transition. Plans are to reduce coal-fired gas to 20% by 2030, while increasing reliance on LNG to 50%. That is, environmentalists have criticized the apparent contradiction that Taiwan plans to transition to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but this is at odds with the shift toward LNG as a transitional energy source.
The Taiwanese white dolphin was only documented in 2002 by Canadian researcher John Wang. At that point in time, the species was already critically endangered. It is thought that the number of remaining Taiwanese white dolphins has declined in the past twenty years, however, at a rate of 3% to 4% per year.
The population of the Taiwanese white dolphin was 74 in 2010 and 68 in 2017. Last year, it was thought the population may have shrunk to 50. 60% of surviving Taiwanese white dolphins have visible injuries.
As it takes the white dolphin five years to produce a new calf, it would take time for the species to recover. At the same time, there are concerns that because of the long lifespan of the Taiwanese white dolphin, the species could eventually reach the point at which reproduction can no longer take place, but there may still be surviving individuals. Much remains unknown about what the Taiwanese white dolphin eats and how it reproduces.
It is thought that the Taiwanese white dolphin prefers to inhabit habitats near river estuaries, limiting their range to shallow water areas. 90% of Taiwanese white dolphins pass through the Port of Taichung. Noise and chemical pollution, then, are a threat to the white dolphin, whether that comes from offshore wind power farms, fisheries, the noise of the port, or the construction of a liquified natural gas terminal in Taichung. It is believed that Taiwanese white dolphins are pushed toward swimming in more dangerous waters because of such development projects. Likewise, it has been observed that Taiwanese white dolphins have been observed swimming faster in order to avoid dangers in the Port of Taichung.
Still, the shift toward LNG is likely because of security priorities, as well as domestic political concerns about air pollution. Air quality has visibly improved across Taiwan in recent years because of the transition toward LNG and away from coal-fired power plants.
Likewise, reliance on LNG avoids reliance on nuclear energy, which has long proven controversial in Taiwan. This is due to fears that Taiwan’s frequent seismic activity could lead to a nuclear disaster similar to the one that took place in Fukushima in March 2011, following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Along these lines, local municipalities are usually unwilling to take up the burden of nuclear waste storage, raising questions about where Taiwan will store waste generated in the process of nuclear power consumption.
With increasing reliance on LNG, fears are that a Chinese blockade would cut off Taiwan’s energy supplies. If so, Taiwan would need to drastically expand its storage capacity for LNG, in order to be able to maintain the stable operation of society. Consequently, the DPP has come into conflict with environmentalists on several occasions regarding LNG facility expansion, not only with the endangered Taiwanese white dolphin but also with the preservation of the Datan Reef off the coast of Taoyuan.