Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen says the city was "ambushed" by the Cabinet's
announcement that it has issued a permit for Tai-Power to build two natural
gas-powered units at the Taichung Thermal Power Plant.

Lu is accusing the central government of overriding her administration's
authority to oversee construction related to the facility.

According to Lu, "people in central Taiwan are angry" and she's planning to
"lodge a serious protest against the decision on behalf of the city
government and Taichung citizens."

The Taichung Power Plant currently consists of 10 coal-fired generators.

And Tai-Power is planning to add two natural gas-powered units to the plant
by 2025 as part of a plan to decrease coal consumption to improve air
pollution.

The company says after installing the two gas-powered units, it will
decommission but not scrap four of its coal-fired generators to have them
available in reserve.

The government says it approved a special building construction permit for
Tai-Power to build the new gas-fired units because the project did not need
the city's approval.