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TSMC Expansion Plan Fails Environmental Assessment

2015/01/06 | By Ken Liu

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC's) expansion plan at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) failed to pass environmental assessments at a meeting recently held by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), Executive Yuan due to fierce opposition from local environmentalists.

Informed sources said that the company has not ruled out the possibility of moving the NT$500 billion (US$16.12 billion at US$1:NT31) project to Southern Taiwan Science Park if it fails to begin the construction at CTSP as scheduled in March 2015.

The CTSP Administration originally planned to approve the investment plan by the end of 2014 if everything went smoothly.

Senior officials of the administration said that the EPA had demanded the administration to reassess waste discharge volume and health risks posed by the expansion plan. They hoped the expansion plan would pass in mid January after the reassessments. The administration has appropriated needed land for the plan.

The investment plan has passed urban-planning and water-usage reviews. The project's soil and water conservation plan is under review by the Council of Agriculture.

(KL)