TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Environmental activists are demanding sweeping safety reforms following a major fire at Taiwan's Hsinta Power Plant (興達發電廠) Tuesday night that damaged a critical gas unit. Economic Affairs Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) moved quickly to reassure the public that Unit 1 remained operational, limiting power supply disruptions across Taiwan. The incident has reignited fierce debate over the safety protocols surrounding Taiwan's expanding network of natural gas facilities.
The Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan, an environmental advocacy group, (台灣蠻野心足生態協會) seized on the incident to challenge previous safety assurances from Taiwan Power Company. Attorney Tsai Ya-ying (蔡雅瀅) noted that Taipower had dismissed explosion risks by citing liquefied natural gas's extremely low storage temperatures. Environmental activist Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group (守護外木山行動小組) argued the fire exposed fundamental management failures across Taiwan's 12 gas-powered facilities.
Air Clean Taiwan (台灣健康空氣行動聯盟, ACT), a health advocacy organization, also declared the incident a watershed moment in Taiwan's energy transition, marking the first gas plant explosion since the island's massive shift toward natural gas. The group used Facebook to demand immediate implementation of standardized evacuation protocols for communities surrounding gas facilities. ACT sharply criticized Taiwan Power Company (TPC, 台電) for what it characterized as dangerously sluggish response times that ignored potential health threats to neighboring residents. ◼