Fourth nuke plant may be suspended due to lack of funding

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on April 4, 2006. It reports that Taiwan's controversial fourth nuclear power plant is having budget problems so big that its construction may have to come to a stop. The plant's current budget can only support the construction up to the end of August 2006. If the government cannot provide the follow-up budget by then, the construction of the plant will not be completed by 2009 as scheduled.

The government is not happy about the slow progress of the nuclear power plant's construction. In March 2006, the actual progress of the construction was only 65.07 percent, far behind the scheduled 90.83 percent. Meanwhile, the total budget for the construction has increased to NT$188.8 billion, more than the NT$169.7 billion estimated in a feasibility study conducted in 1991. The state-run Taipower has requested another follow-up budget of NT$54.3 billion for the construction.

The Legislative Yuan approved only half of the construction's budget of NT$19.4 billion in 2006. However, the government claimed that it is determined to complete the nuclear power plant's construction. Officials pointed out that for every one year of deferral for the construction's completion, the government would have to bear an additional interest outlay of NT$7 billion. After taking into account the increased outlay for more expensive substitute fuels, the additional interest outlay will rise to NT$27 billion.