The Ministry of Finance hosted the prestigious "22nd Golden Thumb Awards for Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects Awards Presentation Ceremony" today at the HNBK International Convention Center. Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin of the Executive Yuan and Deputy Minister Juan Ching-hwa of the Ministry of Finance presented awards to honor the outstanding contributions of the winning teams to public infrastructure development. The ceremony also acknowledged the hard work of the evaluation committee, with hopes that the award-winning teams will serve as exemplary models for future private sector participation in Taiwan's public infrastructure projects.
In his speech, Secretary-General Kung highlighted that, as of October 2024, the cumulative investment in private participation in infrastructure projects (PPIP) has surpassed NT$1.02 trillion, significantly contributing to Taiwan's economic growth. To advance President Lai’s "National Project of Hope" and the "Invest in Taiwan Program," the Executive Yuan established the Economic Development Commission. Focused on "Innovative Economy," "Balanced Taiwan," and "Inclusive Growth," the "trillion-dollar investment plan" is a collaboration between the Ministry of Finance, National Development Council, and Financial Supervisory Commission. This initiative includes a cross-ministerial platform to drive investments in national development, with a goal to achieve the trillion-dollar investment target within the next 4-8 years.
Deputy Minister Juan emphasized the Ministry of Finance's leadership in the "Innovative Mechanism for Advancing PPIP", one of the three pillars of the "trillion-dollar investment plan." Going forward, public construction projects will undergo early-stage assessments to determine their suitability for private participation. This approach aims to expand the pool of projects, address regulatory challenges, and attract more private investments. The goal is to enhance public service quality, reduce fiscal expenditures, and achieve a win-win-win scenario for the government, businesses, and the public.
Deputy Minister Juan further elaborated that this year’s winning projects showcased remarkable diversity across sectors, including transportation, healthcare, tourism, electric power, cultural education, sports facilities, and wastewater treatment. Highlights include the collaboration between Tainan City Government and Acer ITS, which creatively integrated an electric vehicle charging pile service with a parking fee system; Hsinchu City Government's development of a dedicated children's hospital to cater exclusively to young patients; Penghu's first tourism hotel combining accommodation, leisure, and commercial facilities, featuring a reclaimed water recycling system to conserve local water resources; and Yilan's Qingshui Geothermal Power Plant, the first energy facility to win a Golden Thumb Award. The Golden Thumb Awards aim to recognize exemplary PPIP projects, serving as models of success to inspire further investment in Taiwan's public infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to achieve the vision of "Golden Thumb for PPIP, Common Good for Taiwan."
This year's awards presentation ceremony was a lively affair, attended by approximately 300 guests, including winning teams and distinguished participants, who celebrated the 15 award-winning projects (detailed in Appendices 1-3). Additionally, the Ministry of Finance arranged for the Yilan County Government and Acer ITS Inc. to respectively share their experiences with the Qingshui Geothermal Power Generation BOT+ROT Project and the Tainan City Phase II Smart Roadside Parking Fee Charging System BOT Project. These case studies were presented to pass on valuable insights, enabling more public infrastructure teams to learn from and replicate these successful examples.

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