Legislators criticized Taiwan Power Company (Taipower
Officials of Taipower, however, said that the resumption of construction had to be initiated step by step.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
A dozen KMT legislators, members of the Economics and Energy Committee (
At a workshop, contractors working at Taipower's Lungmen construction office (龍門施工處) in Kungliao told the legislators that Taipower had not paid them contractual dues or refunded their deposits after their contracts were rescinded when the Cabinet decided to halt construction last October.
Some contractors complained that because banks had little confidence in the project, it was very difficult to borrow money for re-bidding.
Tseng Tsai Mei-tso (
In addition, legislators who inspected the plant's construction site were upset with the abandoned appearance of the site, saying that such a serious lag in construction is a major safety concern.
Lin Ching-chi (
"We still hope that construction of Unit One (一號機) of the plant will be completed by July 2005, which is the original deadline," Lin said.
KMT legislator Tseng Yung-chuan (
"The financial losses due to the delay should not be borne by electricity users. Therefore, we strongly demand a monthly report outlining the percentage of completed construction," Tseng said.
In Kungliao, local anti-nuclear activists seem to have lost the spirit to fight the plant over what they call "the deception" of the DPP-led central government.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Activists from anti-nuclear groups are continuing calls for the government to stay focused on the negative impacts caused by the construction.
"Based on recent observations, half of the beach at Fulung (
Lai said that workers operating dump trucks were too busy to dump sea sand transferred from other locations to the beach to restore the environment. "The beach is scheduled to open next month, but the Fulung environment is in no condition for it," Lai said.
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
‘COMMITTED TO DETERRENCE’: Washington would stand by its allies, but it can only help as much as countries help themselves, Raymond Greene said The US is committed to deterrence in the first island chain, but it should not bear the burden alone, as “freedom is not free,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said in a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar in Taipei yesterday. In the speech, titled “Investing Together and a Secure and Prosperous Future,” Greene highlighted the contributions of US President Donald Trump’s administration to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of
RSS