Led by Magistrate Li Jinyong, the directors of relevant county government departments arrived in Singapore on May 7th for a 3-day study exchange visit. On the 8th, the team is scheduled to visit Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) and Jurong Island’s Petrochemical Industrial Park as part of the study exchange.
On the morning of May 8th, the first visit was at the NEA with the Waste & Resources Department Minister, Ong Soo San, hosting the exchange. In the Bureau, a briefing from professionals allowed the Yunlin Team to understand their agency’s long-term focus and plans on land and environmental protection, in relations to waste water recycling, waste disposal and resource recovery, development of clean energy and green constructions. These plans closely relate to Yunlin County Government’s current plans.
Singapore’s NEA is responsible for the planning and promotion of waste disposal policies, as well as the operations and management of the Semakau Landfill Site on Semakau Island. Additionally, in the area of waste disposal, the “Integrated Waste Management Facility” project aims to classify, recycle and reuse waste resources in the prefecture, which is very similar with the “Bio-Energy Center” project plan the County is currently promoting. The project intends to achieve the purpose of reducing carbon and generate energy.
Li Jinyong said that through this visit and exchange of views, he understands why Singapore has been selected as a global livable city in the Asia-Pacific region survey. Not only for its urban construction planning and manufacturing, but also because of its concurrent development of the economy, at which the country focuses on the promotion of national environmental conservation, cherishes and pays attention to the people, the environment, and the land. The peaceful coexistence of resources and the concept of sustainable development of the land provides a reference for the future environmental policy which Yunlin can model.
During the exchange, Li Jinyong notably mentioned that Singapore’s air pollution standards are worthy to learn from. Whether if it’s sulfur dioxides (SO¬¬2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM 2.5 or PM 10, the daily emission standards or the annual emission standards are stricter than our national standards. It is worthwhile for us to think about whether Taiwan should adopt more stringent regulatory standards to safeguard the health and safety of the people as our two countries have similar island petrochemical industrial zones.
On the afternoon of May 8th, the Yunlin team visited Jurong Island Petrochemical Industrial Park, which is equipped with world-class infrastructures and support services to properly handle waste and industrial waste water thus provides comprehensive firefighting, medical equipment and related emergency services. In addition, under the effective planning and management from the Administrative Bureau, the industrial chain displays an integration of the development model. Enterprises in the industrial park can quickly supply resources, and achieve a high degree of integration through public facilities and transport facilities to reduce costs and improve production efficiency. Magistrate Li hopes that in the future, whether it’s the planning of the Taisi Green Energy Park or a new industrial area, regardless, we mirror the model of the Jurong Island Petrochemical Industrial Park.