On Wednesday, the Ministry of Economic Affairs held a press conference to address the Kuokaung Petrochemical refinery controversy. The chairman of the company recently vowed that the refinery's impact on the environment will be significantly lower than similar plants built in the past. But some lawmakers worry that Taiwan's natural environment can't afford to accommodate another refinery.

Kuokuang Petrochemical's plans to build a refinery in the middle of a Chinese white dolphin habitat have been met with opposition from both the public and scholars.

During a press conference on Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Economic Affairs reiterated that the plant would not be built unless it passes an environmental review.

Kuokuang, meanwhile, denied that the Far Eastern Group is planning to exit the project and said that its eco-friendly facilities will not only boost production capacity and create 4,000 jobs, but also produce 50% less pollution than Formosa Plastics.

A company spokesperson further said that food-induced conditioning and other training methods will be used to teach the area's Chinese white dolphins to swim through Changhua's waters instead.

According to Premier Wu Den-yih, Taiwan's petrochemical industry is several years behind that of Singapore's, and the refinery will help boost Taiwan's global competitiveness.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers say that Formosa Plastics' sixth naphtha cracker plant, which has been operating for 18 years,

has had a detrimental effect on the environment and the health of local residents, and Taiwan will be at risk if the new plant is built.

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