Hotai Alleges Unfair Selection in Maanshan Nuclear Plant Contract; Taipower Rejects Accusations, Considers Legal Action
Hotai, a bidder for the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant's indoor dry storage facility contract, petitioned the Ministry of Economic Affairs on May 19, alleging an unfair selection process and criticizing Taipower for opaque operations. Taipower responded by stating the bidding process was conducted lawfully and that it never lowered standards to expedite the project for a potential plant restart. Taipower strongly protested Hotai's accusation of disregarding nuclear safety and is considering legal action over the false allegations.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 17:52
- 🔍 Collected: May 19, 2026 at 18:02 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 19, 2026 at 19:09 (1h 7m after Collected)
Hotai, a bidder for the procurement of an indoor dry storage facility at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant, questioned the fairness of the selection process and petitioned the Ministry of Economic Affairs today, criticizing Taipower for opaque operations. In response, Taipower emphasized that the entire bidding and review process was conducted in accordance with the law and that the procurement never involved "lowering the threshold to rush the schedule for the restart of the Maanshan plant." Taipower expressed strong protest against Hotai's accusation of disregarding nuclear safety and is now considering legal action against the false allegations.
Media reports on the Maanshan dry storage case (the procurement of an indoor dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant) claimed that Taipower finalized the contract in just four days and that the winning bidder had three procedural flaws. Taipower previously stated that the procurement process began in 2023 with three rounds of public reviews to solicit feedback from vendors, followed by a second public tender in December of last year, and a selection committee meeting on May 12 of this year, refuting the claim that the decision was rushed in four days.
However, Hotai, a participating bidder, believed the selection was unfair. Hotai's lawyer, Hao Hsieh-ko, submitted a petition to the Ministry of Economic Affairs this morning, questioning alleged flaws in the winning bidder NAC's submission, such as failing to meet boron concentration standards and the bid documents not being signed by the company's responsible person. He also argued that Taipower's response to these concerns was not substantive, merely stating that it had "invited prosecutors, anti-corruption officials, and police to establish a procurement integrity platform," which fails to prove the dry storage system's safety and suitability. He suspected that Taipower lowered the standards to rush the process for the restart of the Maanshan plant and called for a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the competent authorities.
Hao Hsieh-ko stated that Taipower's original standard required a boron concentration below 2000ppm, but the rival company could not meet this, jeopardizing the bottom line of nuclear safety. Additionally, Taipower's tender required vendors to have a track record in nuclear safety dry storage equipment, but the winning bidder allegedly lacks relevant experience and has not obtained the required nuclear safety quality assurance approvals from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), making the selection criteria incomprehensible.
Taipower refuted Hotai's accusations in a press release today, stating that the procurement never involved "lowering the threshold to rush the schedule for the restart of the Maanshan plant." Taipower noted that the Maanshan plant's fuel pool still has sufficient capacity, and the dry storage implementation schedule will not affect the speed of the plant's independent safety inspections. Taipower is considering legal action in response to Hotai's false accusations and improper questioning.
Taipower stated that regarding Hotai's claim that the manufacturer for the NAC team in the Maanshan dry storage case does not comply with relevant regulations, NAC has provided performance records that meet the procurement specifications, and its quality assurance qualifications can be verified on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) website. Furthermore, during the review period, Taipower had formally inquired with the Public Construction Commission of the Executive Yuan, which confirmed that NAC's signing of the bid documents by an authorized person complies with legal requirements.
Moreover, Hotai argued that Taipower should explicitly disclose the boron concentration and safety analysis conditions, as ambiguity might allow NAC's equipment, which may require over 2250ppm to ensure safety, to be deemed qualified.
Regarding the "boron concentration requirement in the technical specifications of the bid," Taipower explained that it had already clarified in its response during the public review period that "≥2000ppm" is the minimum concentration in the current state of the spent fuel pool at Maanshan, and the winning bidder's subsequent safety analysis report must be calculated based on 2000ppm.
Taipower stated that "a concentration higher than 2000ppm cannot be used" is a performance requirement for after the contract is awarded, not a specification for the bidding stage. The winning bidder complies as long as they can achieve this requirement in their analysis report during the contract period.
Taipower mentioned that in its dry storage facility tenders, both Hotai and NAC have won different contracts, but disputes between the two companies are frequent. Industry competition is normal, and Taipower has always handled matters impartially and in accordance with the law, ensuring a legal and transparent procurement process. As the winning bidder for the indoor dry storage contracts for the Chinshan and Kuosheng nuclear plants, Hotai is a partner of Taipower in the nuclear field and should be well aware of Taipower's rigor in nuclear safety.
Taipower emphasized that in this dispute arising from industry competition, Hotai's accusations have severely damaged Taipower's reputation and public trust, and it will consider taking legal action.
Media reports on the Maanshan dry storage case (the procurement of an indoor dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant) claimed that Taipower finalized the contract in just four days and that the winning bidder had three procedural flaws. Taipower previously stated that the procurement process began in 2023 with three rounds of public reviews to solicit feedback from vendors, followed by a second public tender in December of last year, and a selection committee meeting on May 12 of this year, refuting the claim that the decision was rushed in four days.
However, Hotai, a participating bidder, believed the selection was unfair. Hotai's lawyer, Hao Hsieh-ko, submitted a petition to the Ministry of Economic Affairs this morning, questioning alleged flaws in the winning bidder NAC's submission, such as failing to meet boron concentration standards and the bid documents not being signed by the company's responsible person. He also argued that Taipower's response to these concerns was not substantive, merely stating that it had "invited prosecutors, anti-corruption officials, and police to establish a procurement integrity platform," which fails to prove the dry storage system's safety and suitability. He suspected that Taipower lowered the standards to rush the process for the restart of the Maanshan plant and called for a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the competent authorities.
Hao Hsieh-ko stated that Taipower's original standard required a boron concentration below 2000ppm, but the rival company could not meet this, jeopardizing the bottom line of nuclear safety. Additionally, Taipower's tender required vendors to have a track record in nuclear safety dry storage equipment, but the winning bidder allegedly lacks relevant experience and has not obtained the required nuclear safety quality assurance approvals from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), making the selection criteria incomprehensible.
Taipower refuted Hotai's accusations in a press release today, stating that the procurement never involved "lowering the threshold to rush the schedule for the restart of the Maanshan plant." Taipower noted that the Maanshan plant's fuel pool still has sufficient capacity, and the dry storage implementation schedule will not affect the speed of the plant's independent safety inspections. Taipower is considering legal action in response to Hotai's false accusations and improper questioning.
Taipower stated that regarding Hotai's claim that the manufacturer for the NAC team in the Maanshan dry storage case does not comply with relevant regulations, NAC has provided performance records that meet the procurement specifications, and its quality assurance qualifications can be verified on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) website. Furthermore, during the review period, Taipower had formally inquired with the Public Construction Commission of the Executive Yuan, which confirmed that NAC's signing of the bid documents by an authorized person complies with legal requirements.
Moreover, Hotai argued that Taipower should explicitly disclose the boron concentration and safety analysis conditions, as ambiguity might allow NAC's equipment, which may require over 2250ppm to ensure safety, to be deemed qualified.
Regarding the "boron concentration requirement in the technical specifications of the bid," Taipower explained that it had already clarified in its response during the public review period that "≥2000ppm" is the minimum concentration in the current state of the spent fuel pool at Maanshan, and the winning bidder's subsequent safety analysis report must be calculated based on 2000ppm.
Taipower stated that "a concentration higher than 2000ppm cannot be used" is a performance requirement for after the contract is awarded, not a specification for the bidding stage. The winning bidder complies as long as they can achieve this requirement in their analysis report during the contract period.
Taipower mentioned that in its dry storage facility tenders, both Hotai and NAC have won different contracts, but disputes between the two companies are frequent. Industry competition is normal, and Taipower has always handled matters impartially and in accordance with the law, ensuring a legal and transparent procurement process. As the winning bidder for the indoor dry storage contracts for the Chinshan and Kuosheng nuclear plants, Hotai is a partner of Taipower in the nuclear field and should be well aware of Taipower's rigor in nuclear safety.
Taipower emphasized that in this dispute arising from industry competition, Hotai's accusations have severely damaged Taipower's reputation and public trust, and it will consider taking legal action.