ROC President Ma Ying-jeou urged the Ministry of Economic Affairs April 22 to find alternative sites for the Kuokuang petrochemical plant proposed for Taiwan’s western Changhua County.
Ma stressed the importance of the petrochemical industry, while underlining the need for “new ideas and new measures” to strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection.
The president made the remarks at a news conference after a panel of experts failed to reach a conclusion on the controversial Kuokuang plan, despite two marathon meetings at the Environmental Protection Administration.
The panel had suggested that an environmental impact assessment committee meeting in May choose between conditional approval and rejection, panel members said.
“Considering the magnitude of the project’s impact, the developer will have to follow strict conditions even if the plan is passed,” said panel chairman Chiang Pen-chi, an environmental engineering professor.
With conditional approval, Kuokuang would likely be required to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions, monitor the discharge of atmospheric particles and build an ocean corridor for the endangered pink-hued Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, according to Chiang.
“Kuokuang must respond effectively to environmental and health concerns raised by local residents and experts,” he added.
Around 1,000 protestors, consisting of farmers and fishermen from Changhua, students and activists, gathered in front of the EPA April 21, demanding the panel throw out the Kuokuang plan.
“Whatever economic benefits the project promises are outweighed by its environmental costs,” said Pan Han-sheng, a member of the Taiwan Green Party.
Proposed in 2005 by the state-owned Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co. Ltd., the Kuokuang complex is scheduled to replace the state-run first and second naphtha crackers, which have been in service since the early 1970s.
Planned for construction on wetlands at the mouth of the Zhuoshui River, the 2,773-hectare complex would be the second biggest on the island after Formosa Petrochemical Corp.’s Mailiao refinery complex in nearby Yunlin County.
Opponents fear the complex would damage the 2,000-hectare Dacheng Wetlands and their rich biodiversity, crush the local agriculture sector and put the health and livelihood of community members at risk.
The industrial zone, which includes refineries, naphtha crackers and plants producing petrochemicals such as ethylene and aromatic hydrocarbon, is expected to create some 6,800 new jobs and over NT$312.7 billion in annual output.
