New partnership in Taiwan to develop geothermal project at Renze Hot Spring
Yilan, Taiwan (source: flickr/ Emilie Chen, creative common)
Alexander Richter
12 Mar 2018
A new partnership between CPC Corp. (CPC) and Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) plans to develop a geothermal project at Renzo Hot Springs in Taiwan, an area seen has having one of the best potential in the country.
As reported by Chinese-language Liberty Times (Taipei Times), CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC) and Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) have announced that they will sign a cooperation agreement to harness geothermal energy at Renze Hot Spring in Yilan County on March 21, 2018. This news comes out of the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Under the plans, CPC would be drilling on or two wells near the hot spring to conduct tests. If successful, the project would then be handed over to Taipower, which would develop and operate the planned geothermal power plant.
In the overall context of geothermal ambitions in Taiwan, the number of hot springs in Yilan county indicated tremendous potential for such development. Renze was chosen for tests, as it was seen as having the greatest potential.
The land for the planned project belongs to the Forestry bureau, which helps make efforts on the project less costly and time consuming, as if one would have to acquire or lease land from private owners.
CPC has ample experience drilling geothermal wells and in 1981 helped set up a geothermal power plant in the county’s Cingshuei area, which was shut down in 1993 as its generators became less efficient.
Taipower is interested in developing geothermal energy and is simultaneously engaged in a geothermal development project on Green Island this year.
The state-run utility has carried out well tests and is on track to build a small geothermal power station capable of generating 200kW of electricity on the island by next year, the Liberty Times said, adding that Taipower plans to build a larger geothermal power plant there capable of generating 40 megawatts of electricity by 2020.
The Bureau of Energy has said that the government’s target is to install 200 MW of geothermal generation capacity by 2025, as part of the Democratic Progressive Party administration’s pledge to establish a “nuclear-free homeland” by that year.
Source: Taipei News
