More than 60 development and procurement projects are open to investment from the private sector, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said after its annual investment solicitation convention yesterday.
About 300 domestic and overseas companies attended the convention at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei, which was to promote business opportunities in the public sector.
The ministry presented 63 projects that are to go up for public tender, with their combined value exceeding NT$100 billion (US$3.51 billion).
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in a speech at the opening ceremony that the ministry has signed contracts with private operators in the past three years totaling nearly NT$170 billion.
It received an award of excellence for soliciting the most private investment for public projects among all government agencies, Lin said.
For example, Hsin Tung Yang Co, a Taiwanese food service retailer, spent about NT$300 million revamping the Guansi Freeway Rest Area and turning it into a Hakka-style shopping facility, which was reopened to the public in October last year, he said.
Classic Railway International Co, which is affiliated with Te Chang Construction Co, plans to spend NT$3 billion building the Taichung Railway Culture Park near Taichung Railway Station, he said, adding the park’s shopping mall was officially opened on Sunday.
Evergreen Marine Corp has invested NT$36.4 billion to build deep-water wharves at the Port of Kaohsiung that can handle ultra-large container ships, Lin said.
The project would help solidify the port’s status as a regional cargo hub, he said.
Of the 63 new projects the ministry presented at the convention, 13 are flagship projects, including one to recruit a contractor to manage and operate the Dapeng Bay holiday resort in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港), the ministry said.
Properties near the high-speed rail stations in Taoyuan and Taichung are also seeking to attract developers, with the estimated investment topping NT$25 billion, it said.
Taiwan Railways Administration properties at Taichung, Yuanlin County and Pingtung railway stations would be developed once the local governments satisfy Urban Renewal Act (都市更新條例) requirements, the ministry said, adding that those developments are expected to draw combined investment of NT$15 billion from the private sector.
The Port of Keelung is recruiting a contractor to manage and operate its passenger terminal, and the Port of Anping in Tainan is seeking a developer for a tourism and leisure area, it said.
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