Coast in Jinshan District, New Taipei, Taiwan (source: WeiHsiang Wang, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)A 1-MW pilot geothermal power plant is expected to be put into operation by October in the the “Jinshan Liuhuangziping Geothermal Demonstration Zone” in Jinshan, New Taipei City in Taiwan. This will have an annual power generation capacity of up to 6.4 million kWh and will be the first geothermal power plant in New Taipei City.
We had first reported on the proposed Liuhuangziping geothermal project back in 2022. With a a planned total capacity of 4 MW, the project can supply power to more than 6,000 households. The project site is located in the region of the Tatun Volcanoes.
The “Jinshan Liuhuangziping Geothermal Demonstration Zone” was established back in 2018 and the New Taipei City Government has invested at least 280 million yuan in exploration and production testing for the geothermal project.
Development of the project was postponed in the early years because of issues with corrosion brought about by the acidic nature of the geothermal fluids in the region. However, the New Taipei City Economic and Development Bureau pointed out there are now corrosion-resistant Fiberglass-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) pipes developed in Europe and ceramic-lined steel pipes developed in Japan that can address these problems.
The current plan is to set up a 1-MW pilot geothermal power plant in Liuhuangziping for capacity testing. Taipower has already applied for a parallel connection so that power from the pilot plant can be utilized in New Taipei City. The final testing of the equipment is expected to be completed in October.
