TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) on Friday (Nov. 15) addressed the city's ongoing air quality issues, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to mitigate pollution. Lu expressed hope the Taichung Power Plant (台中發電廠) will not exacerbate air pollution, as the Ministry of Environment's (MOENV, 環境部) Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network (空氣品質監測網) reported that central Taiwan's air quality remains unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Lu highlighted progress since she took office six years ago, reducing the number of poor air quality days from over 60 annually to between 10 and 20. Despite these improvements, she expressed concern over plans to expand the Taichung Power Plant, which initially had ten coal-fired units, with an additional six gas-fired units. This expansion would make Taiwan's largest thermal power plant, with the highest carbon emissions.
Calling the situation unfair to central Taiwan residents, Lu urged the central government to diversify energy sources to ensure national security and prevent excessive power concentration in the region. She also expressed hope for negotiation opportunities to improve the current situation.