Green and civilian poll: More than 90% of Kaohsiung citizens are unaware of CNPC’s new four-light expansion plan

Zeng Yiting (left), director of public mobilization and development at Greenpeace, Li Jinzong (middle), former director of Zhongshan District, Linyuan District, and Zhang Kaiting (right), leader of Greenpeace's plastic reduction project, publicly called on CNPC to terminate the expansion of the New Fourth Light.

China National Petroleum Corporation will spend 106.2 billion yuan to promote Kaohsiung Linyuan's "New Four Light Expansion Plan." Greenpeace released the latest poll today (7th). The results showed that nearly 90.3% of Kaohsiung citizens did not know about this plan, especially more than 82.9% of residents in Linyuan and Daliao did not know. After learning about the health risks, 47.6% expressed opposition, which was higher than the 36.3% support rate.

Zeng Yiting, director of public mobilization and development at Greenpeace, pointed out that the New Four Light Plan was approved in May 2024, but it is not simply about replacing old equipment with new ones. It will build a new light oil cracking plant with an annual capacity of 1 million tons of ethylene. It has now entered the basic design contracting stage. However, 90% of Kaohsiung citizens are unaware of such large-scale public investment and petrochemical capacity expansion, which shows that CNPC and the government deliberately conceal major decisions in information disclosure and social communication.

Greenpeace commissioned Shanshui Public Opinion Research Co., Ltd. to conduct a survey on adults over the age of 20 registered in Kaohsiung City in July this year through local calls and mobile phones. A total of 1,070 valid samples were obtained. The survey showed that before further information was provided, 41.4% of the respondents approved of the new four-light model, 25.8% disapproved, and 32.7% did not know or had no opinion. However, when respondents received further information on the international plastic reduction trend, air pollution caused by the petrochemical industry, and the health risks of microplastics, the support rate dropped to 36.3%, and the opposition rate rose sharply to 47.6%; those who did not know or had no opinion also dropped from 32.7% to 15.9%. 87.2% of the respondents believed that "more careful evaluation is needed."

Zeng Yiting said that Taiwan's petrochemical industry is facing global overcapacity and changes in demand. Recently, some companies have suspended production, laid off employees, or adjusted production capacity. The government should invest resources in increasing the value of the industry, downstream materials research and development, labor transformation, and new local employment, rather than continuing to expand primary petrochemical raw material production capacity.

Li Jinzong, the former head of Zhongshan District in Linyuan District, said that although the petrochemical industry supports many families, so many people living in Linyuan are unaware of such a large expansion project. Has the government really communicated with residents properly? He said that he could support New Fourth Lighting in upgrading the old equipment of Old Fourth Lighting, but would not support expansion and increase in production capacity, and questioned why New Fourth Lighting did not choose the abandoned site of Old Three Lighting Zhongmeihe Petroleum for its expansion.