TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A decision by TCC Group Holdings to stop buying Russian coal for its Hoping Power Plant has met with a positive response from environmental groups, reports said Thursday (Sept. 19).

TCC, formerly known as Taiwan Cement, issued a statement it would no longer purchase coal from Russia after the last shipments under existing contracts arrived in October. The decision came after a June meeting with environmental action groups, Radio Taiwan International reported.

Representatives of Ecodefense, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), and the Environmental Rights Protection Foundation (EPRF) visited the company, where they had a “solid discussion,” according to the TCC statement.

The company said that to meet government requirements for low ash and low sulfur content, the Hoping Power Plant used a combination of coal from Australia, Indonesia, and Russia. According to TCC, Russian coal had moderate ash content, low sulfur content, and only needed six days to reach Taiwan.

The EPRF praised TCC's decision to stop importing Russian coal as the right decision based on international human rights and environmental considerations. According to information from CREA, TCC’s share in Russian coal imports to Taiwan had declined from 17% in 2023 to 6% in 2024.

The EPRF called on other importers of Russian coal to follow TCC’s lead. The environmental group named Formosa Plastics Group, one of the country’s largest business groups, which is mostly known for its activities in the petrochemical sector.