NDC approves NT$122.7 billion science park expansion plan in Tainan

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) The National Development Council (NDC) on Thursday approved a plan to expand the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City in Tainan, aiming to reinforce Taiwan's semiconductor industry and create tens of thousands of jobs.

The NT$122.7 billion (US$4.07 billion) project in the Shalun area of the southern Taiwanese city, proposed by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and will be submitted to the Cabinet, will be financed through annual allocations from the Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration's operating fund.

Authorities expect to complete land-use and environmental reviews for non-urban land by the end of 2027, after which land acquisition, public works and factory construction will proceed simultaneously.

Once completed, the project will add 531 hectares of science park space in southern Taiwan, generating an estimated NT$2.24 trillion in annual output and providing about 35,000 jobs, NDC Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) said at an NDC meeting on Thursday.

He added that the park expansion will help meet rising demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, while its ecological design will balance industrial growth with environmental protection.

The NDC noted that the project is central to the NSTC's Greater Southern New Silicon Valley Promotion Plan, which seeks to integrate infrastructure projects such as the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City with new research and development hubs.