TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Control Yuan members Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) criticized Taipower and the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Tuesday over the rushed extension of the operating licence for Generator No. 1 at the Mai-Liao Power Plant in Yunlin County.

The Control Yuan said Taipower fast-tracked the approval process—provoking strong protests from local residents—per CNA. It accused the ministry of failing to properly supervise the licence renewal and fulfil its oversight duties.

According to the watchdog, Taipower maintained until about a month before the licence expired that any new electricity supply from private operators would be sourced from natural gas. However, the utility abruptly abandoned that stance and completed the coal-fired generator’s license extension in just 10 days, bypassing proper procedure and public consultation.

The Control Yuan said this conduct violated established protocols and lacked transparency.

Lin and Chi emphasized that the license extension process falls under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ jurisdiction as part of its responsibility for managing Taiwan’s energy strategy. The members argued the ministry failed to properly assess the legitimacy of the extension or consider the community controversy surrounding it.

Because the ministry oversaw a memorandum of understanding between the Mai-Liao Power Plant and Yunlin County, Lin and Chi said it should have ensured transparent communication with local stakeholders. They added that shifting blame to the plant operator and framing the matter as a contractual dispute was irresponsible.

Mai-Liao Power Plant is scheduled to shut down its two remaining coal-fired generators by the end of 2025, per UDN. Yunlin County Environmental Protection Bureau Director Chang Chiao-wei (張喬維) said retrofitting the plant with natural gas generators will take four to five years, with operations expected to resume around 2030.