OPPOSITION lawmakers failed to gain enough votes yesterday in their attempt to freeze the budget for Taiwan's planned fourth nuclear power plant.
The vote will allow the island's state-run power company, to accept bids for the US$6.45 billion (about HK$50.01 billion) plant.
The Legislative Yuan voted 76 to 57 with four abstentions to reaffirm a vote taken in a chaotic meeting on June 23 against a motion by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers to freeze NT$7.5 billion (HK$2.18 billion) in funds for the project.
Yesterday's vote ends the second annual campaign against the plant by a coalition of environmental activists and the DPP. Opponents maintain nuclear power is unsafe and unnecessary in Taiwan.
The ballot was mostly along party lines.
Spurred on by a message in favour of the plant from President Lee Teng-hui, who is also Kuomintang chairman, most ruling party legislators voted for it.