Exploration well in Yilan, Taiwan confirms 200 ºC geothermal resource

CPC Taiwan has announced that a temperature of 200 ºC has been measured at 3361 meters depth of the Dongshan No. 1 geotherml well in Yilan County, Taiwan. With a clearer potential for power generation, the plan is now to drill two more verification wells by 2028, after which a decision will be made on whether a geothermal power plant will be built.

Drilling of the Dongsan No. 1 well started in October 2025, following the drilling of the Yuanshan No. 1 well, which was not quite as successful, only hitting a temperature 150 °C at the 4000-meter target depth. Dongshan No. 1 was completed in April 2026, with initial measurements indicating resource temperatures exceeding 180 °C.

As further explained by CPC spokesperson Lin Ke-ru, drilling of the additional two verification wells will take approximately one year. Should the state-owned company decide to proceed to a geothermal power project, the plan is to drill an additional eight wells to support its operations.

Proposed regulatory changes to support deep geothermal

To further simplify the development process for deep geothermal projects, an amendment to the Renewable Energy Development Act is currently being proposed that removes the requirement to secure the landowner’s consent for geothermal wells directionally drilled beyond 300 meters depth.  The proposal states that landowners cannot assert their right to consent in cases where the geothermal wells are drilled very deep underground.

The Executive Yuan has completed discussions on the proposed amendment and will subsequently submit it to the Legislative Yuan for their review.

Source: China Daily News and Yahoo! Taiwan