Taiwan's Economics Ministry has taken a step toward loosening the island's reliance on nuclear power in a move that could be a major blow to Japanese firms in the atomic power industry.
Economics Minister Lin Hsin-i said late last week he has asked the Cabinet to cancel construction of the island's fourth nuclear plant, which is already one-third complete.
The plant, designed to use two advanced boiling water-type reactors made by Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. under license from General Electric Co. of the United States, was originally scheduled to go into operation in 2004 and to generate 2,700 mw of electricity when it became fully operative.