TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced on Tuesday (Oct. 17) that it has abandoned plans for a third expansion in the Longtan Science Park.
In response to protests by residents over its plans to expand an area of the Longtan Science Park in Taoyuan City's Longtan District for chip production, TSMC stated that it would halt the project. The statement read, "After evaluation by the company, under the current conditions, it will no longer consider entering Phase III of the Longtan Science Park," reported Liberty Times.
The firm emphasized that the company is a corporate tenant of the land in the science park and planning is the responsibility of the government. It stated that it respects residents and regulatory authorities, and cannot comment on the land acquisition matter.
TSMC also stated that it will maintain its past expansion pace and "continue to collaborate with the authorities to evaluate land suitable for building semiconductor factories in Taiwan."
The newspaper cited industry insiders as stating that, unlike previous protests by residents, the recent rallies in Longtan Science Park involved the participation of people with societal concerns and were more than individuals acting on self-interest alone. TSMC has land in the Hsinchu Science Park, Kaohsiung Science Park, and Central Taiwan Science Park, and it reportedly does not want to be labeled as demanding land in the Longtan Science Park.
The expansion project for the Longtan Science Park, which belongs to the Hsinchu Science Park, was accelerated at the end of last year before the county and city mayoral elections. At that time, land was to be earmarked for the development and production of 2-nanometer chips.
A feasibility assessment pilot program was approved by the Cabinet in June of this year. The project involves approximately 158.59 hectares of land, with nearly 90% privately owned.
It was estimated that it would have provided around 5,900 employment opportunities and generated an average annual production value of approximately NT$600 billion (US$18.55 billion) to NT$650 billion.