A groundbreaking ceremony for the 4-MW Sihuangziping geothermal power plant Jinshan, New Taipei City in Taiwan was held on the 20th of November 2023. The facility is expected to start commercial power generation by 2025. The Economic Development Bureau also confirmed that the 1-MW Sihuangziping pilot geothermal power plant has officially started supplying power to the grid.
The groundbreaking was attended by Vice President of the Executive Yuan Zheng Wencan and New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Chen Chunjing. By 2025, the power plant will generate 25.6 million kilowatt-hours per year, which will be enough for the power needs of about 6,392 four-person households.
In his speech, Zheng Wencan emphasized that the geothermal potential in Taiwan is huge and that geothermal can supply about 2/3 of the country’s electricity demand. He also added that a special chapter for geothermal had been introduced to the Renewable Energy Regulations with measures to facilitate geothermal development. This includes a joint review process by central and local governments, 20-year water rights and power offtake agreements, and brine reinjection to support the hot spring industry.
Pilot development in Sihuangziping was delayed for years because of corrosion issues brought about by the acidic nature of the geothermal fluids in the region. New Taipei City Economic Development Director He Yiming said that this development was made possible by advancement in technology, making dry steam-cooled generator sets now available for geothermal power generation. Measures have also been installed to prevent pipeline corrosion.
The “Jinshan Liuhuangziping Geothermal Demonstration Zone” is a geothermal demonstration zone jointly established by New Taipei City, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the National Industry Administration. Manufacturers came to develop the area via open investment invitations, eventually succeeding in the development of the 1-MW pilot geothermal power plant.
