China National Petroleum Corporation said today (5th) that in order to provide the new natural gas demand for Taipower Taitan Power Plant’s No. 7 to 9 gas units and the northern residential, industrial and gas-fired power plants, the Kwun Tong Liquefied Natural Gas Receiving Station (Third Connection) officially started supplying gas in November last year. Since the planning and construction of the station, it has strictly complied with its environmental impact assessment commitments and continued to invest in ecological surveys, monitoring and habitat maintenance and other conservation work.
The relevant environmental group raised concerns about the functionality of the South Breakwater. China National Petroleum Corporation emphasized that the main function of the South Breakwater is to withstand seasonal strong southwest waves and the impact of typhoons. Considering the rapid weather changes in the Taiwan Strait, the construction of a complete South Breakwater can provide better protection for the berthing of LNG unloading and receiving ships, on-site operators and port facilities, and maintain the stability of the Kwun Tong Port area. Construction is still necessary. CNPC will continue to prioritize safety and complete relevant projects as soon as possible, subject to sea conditions and weather conditions.
CNPC reiterates that it will continue to carry out ecological surveys and monitoring of the three connected sites, and continuously review relevant environmental management and conservation measures based on professional research results. All sectors are welcome to join in the ecological conservation of the surrounding environment, and implement information disclosure and professional supervision through continuous exchanges and communications to balance energy security and environmental sustainability.
In terms of ecological conservation work, China National Petroleum Corporation pays close attention to the algal reefs and surrounding ecological environment, and has long-term tracking and monitoring changes in the coverage of crustaceous coralline algae and the survival, quantity and distribution of the first-level protected Chaishan polyps. It also protects secondary protected wild animals such as little terns and continues to understand the habitat changes and ecological dynamics of various species.
For the three undeveloped areas, CNPC has comprehensively implemented daily management and scientific monitoring to maintain regional biodiversity, and actively encourages employees, the general public and local residents to participate in habitat protection through regular beach cleaning, environmental education promotion and local patrols and other practical actions. The three undeveloped areas (G1, G2, and G3) were recognized as the first wave of marine effective conservation areas by the Marine Commission this year, demonstrating the concrete results of CNPC’s continuous promotion of ecological conservation.
In terms of supervision system and resource investment, CNPC established the "Kwun Tong Industrial Area (Hong Kong) Ecological Conservation Executive Committee" before the start of the third phase of construction. It regularly invites experts, scholars, official representatives and local residents to jointly review conservation measures, and publishes meeting minutes and monitoring reports on the official website. In accordance with the environmental impact assessment commitment, CNPC established the Ecological Conservation Charity Trust Fund in September last year to support ecological conservation work with practical actions. This year, a total of 23 ecological conservation projects have been subsidized, covering projects such as the restoration of Taiwan's unique species of Chai Shan multi-cup coral proposed by local communities, government agencies and academic institutions, environmental education on climate change and ocean observation technology, and marine ecological diversity surveys, demonstrating the capacity of public-private collaboration to deeply cultivate local ecological conservation.
