Taipei, July 16 (CNA) A proposed expansion of the Hsinchu Science Park to accommodate a new Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) factory received preliminary approval from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on Friday, and it will now be sent to the agency's top review committee.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, announced plans in 2019 to develop the 89.84-hectare property, which is located in Hsinchu's Baoshan Township on the southern end of the science park.

The company has said it intends to set up an advanced 2-nanometer wafer production facility on the site, which it estimates will take five years to build and ultimately employ around 2,500 people.

Because building the factory would require expanding the boundaries of Hsinchu Science Park, the park's management bureau -- part of the Ministry of Science and Technology -- was required to submit an environmental impact statement for the proposed project.

Following four hearings on the issue, a special EPA committee on Friday recommended approving the expansion, while requiring the science park to strengthen its plans for limiting air pollution and other types of environmental damage at the site before Sept. 30.

Once those revisions are made, the project will be sent to the EPA's Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee for a final review, the agency said.

Aside from the planned 2nm chip factory, TSMC is also building a research and development center in Baoshan, which is expected to begin operations later this year with a staff of around 8,000 R&D specialists.

By: DocMemory
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