Following a series of arbitration talks between Taiwan Power and General Electric Co. over the sealing of Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant, Taipower has agreed to pay GE a compensation of US$180.5 million, or NT$5.5 billion. Taipower says it has already allocated a compensation sum in its budget in 2014 and the agreement will not hurt the company's financial status or electricity prices.


Taiwan's government announced the sealing of the island's fourth nuclear power plant in April 2014. Taiwan Power, which had a construction, equipment and service contract with General Electric, subsequently stopped paying the company. GE then filed two arbitration cases against Taipower at the International Chamber of Commerce. The chamber ruled against Taipower in the first case. With Taipower believing it would probably lose the second case as well, the two sides entered into arbitration. Following five sessions, the two sides agreed Taipower would pay GE US$22.5, or NT$701 million.

Of the total compensation amount, over US$30 million was for facilities already transferred over by GE. At the time, (Taipower) stopped paying (GE) because checks upon delivery and function tests were never completed. Following the result of the first arbitration, Taipower and its legal team decided to minimize its losses by negotiating an out-of-court settlement with GE.

The first ruling came down in March, with the chamber ordering Taipower to pay GE US$158 million, or NT$4.87 billion. Taipower paid the sum immediately. With a precedent now in place, Taipower opted to settle the second case out of court and agreed to pay GE US$180.5 million, or NT$ 5.585 billion.

This proves the fourth nuclear power plant couldn't have been built well. This is an unfinished building that was never going to be completed. Even the guy that drew up the original blueprint couldn't find a way to solve this problem.

Taipower says it allocated funds for these payments to its budget in 2014 and the case is at an end. It also said the payments will not affect the company's bottom line or electricity prices this year.



政府在103年4月宣布核四計畫封存後，台電也停止支付與美商奇異間簽訂的「核反應器系統暨附屬系統、設備及服務」契約，奇異為此還向國際商會發起了兩個仲裁案，台電考量先前第一仲裁案已輸，評估第二案勝算機率仍不高，雙方展開五次協商並達成和解，最終以2250萬美元，約台幣7.1億元給付給奇異公司。

台電發言人 徐造華表示：「這個求償的金額裡面，有超過3000萬美元，是奇異公司已經交付的設備，因為當時還沒有完成驗收，還有功能測試因此沒有付款，因為前一次的仲裁結果，已經認定核四停工，台電公司跟律師來研商，認為本次仲裁的勝算不大，為了降低損失，跟奇異公司就進行庭外的協商。」

台電表示，第一起仲裁結果在今年3月出爐，國際仲裁院認定核四計畫有停工的事實，台電敗訴，須付給奇異1.58億美元約合新台幣48.74億，台電認賠迅速付款，在有了前車之鑑，第2仲裁案決定走庭外和解，最後合計兩個仲裁案共付出的代價為1.805億美元，約新台幣55.85億。

聲音來源 綠色消費者基金會祕書長 方儉表示：「這個東西也就是證明核四，根本不可能做好，因為這個是一個爛尾樓，它不可能把它完工，它連原廠設計的這個人，都沒有辦法幫它解決一些問題。」

台電強調，這兩筆給付款項早已經在103年度就編列預算，並且提列在案，不會影響今年台電的損益，也不會影響電價，與奇異之間的爭議算是完全解決了。