Environmental Groups Petition MOEA, Demand Coordination Meeting
The Save Datan Algal Reef Action Alliance went to the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the 10th to petition and protest, arguing that construction of the Third LNG Receiving Terminal has caused silt pollution, leading to a decline in crustose coralline algae coverage and affecting the Class I protected species Chaishan polycyathus coral, contradicting CPC's claim that algal reef ecology has not been affected. The groups demanded that the Ministry convene a coordination meeting on silt pollution and whether to halt the south breakwater, and remove a total of 18 temporarily placed caissons in zones G1 and G2 to prevent further damage. During the protest, members threw silt at an image of the Ministry to express dissatisfaction with the handling by the competent authority and CPC.
Convener Accuses Government of Fooling Public, Says 156 Press Conferences Held
Alliance convener Pan Chung-cheng said the group has held 156 press conferences to date, and the Ministry should stop fooling the public. If genuine environmental protection is not implemented, they will next petition President Lai Ching-te at the Presidential Office. Tsai Ya-ying, staff attorney at the Taiwan Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, pointed out that the Third Terminal plans 47.08 hectares of artificial facilities in an ecologically sensitive marine area, equivalent to 1,121 standard basketball courts, which has already severely damaged the algal reef ecosystem. With the Third Terminal now operating for more than a year, the groups believe there is no need to continue building the south breakwater, and the temporarily placed caissons should be removed to prevent the affected area from expanding further.
Third Terminal Went Through Referendum and Offshore Relocation, Began Supply in 2025
The 2021 Cherish Algal Reefs referendum asked whether voters agreed to relocate the Third Terminal away from the Datan algal reef coast and waters in Taoyuan, and ultimately failed with 51% voting no versus 48% voting yes. CPC subsequently adopted a plan to move the terminal 455 meters offshore, and officially began gas supply in November 2025. However, environmental groups argue that the algal reefs have still been damaged over the years, and ecological conservation has not been achieved as CPC claimed. This petition again highlights the long-standing dispute between development and conservation, and puts post-operation ecological monitoring of the Third Terminal back under scrutiny.
MOEA Promises Reply Within a Week, CPC Stresses Need for Protection
Chiu Wan-chin, senior specialist at the Department of State-Owned Enterprises, Ministry of Economic Affairs, who accepted the petition, responded that the groups' demands will be studied and explained to the public in due course, with a reply on the timing of a coordination meeting expected within a week. CPC said that since planning began, the Third Terminal has complied with its environmental impact assessment commitments, continuing ecological surveys, monitoring and habitat maintenance, with undeveloped areas receiving the Ocean Affairs Council's first-wave Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures certification in 2026, long-term tracking of crustose coralline algae coverage and the population and distribution of the Chaishan polycyathus coral, and protection of Class II protected wildlife such as the Little Tern. CPC stressed that the south breakwater's main function is to withstand strong seasonal southwesterly swells and typhoon impacts, providing better protection for LNG carriers, personnel and port facilities, and maintaining stability in the Guantang port area, and therefore remains necessary.