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New power plant shows commitment to go green

The start of commercial operation of Taiwan's first private hydraulic power plant demonstrates the nation's commitment to promoting clean sources of energy, officials said yesterday at the site of the plant in Tainan County.

Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智), Director of the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park's Development Office Tai Chien (戴謙) and National Policy Adviser Hwang Kun-hu (黃崑虎) attended the opening ceremony for the Wushantou Hydraulic Power Plant (烏山頭水力發電廠) yesterday.

The plant takes advantage of the abundance of water at the Wushantou Reservoir.

The reservoir, completed in 1973, stores up to 708 million tonnes of water.

Both the Tainan-based Chianan Irrigation Association (嘉南農田水利會) and Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp (台灣化學纖維股份有限公司) have invested in the plant, which cost NT$360 million.

Plant construction began in October 2000 and was completed this June.

After receiving an operating license in July, the plant began testing in August and was connected to the Taipower grid. Taipower will pay NT$1.1 for each unit of electricity generated by the plant.

Chianan Irrigation Association officials said the plant is capable of supplying Taipower with 42.17 megawatts of electricity annually and its annual income should exceed NT$40 million.

Officials said that building the nation's first private hydraulic power plant reflects the government's call for the adoption of renewable energy.

According to association officials, gravity causes water to fall through the penstock inside the dam for 24.1m, turning a turbine propeller. The shaft from the turbine extends to the generator.

To make further use of water stored at the reservoir, the investors plan to build another hydraulic power plant nearby.

Officials said a museum of water conservancy would be established at the reservoir to promote domestic tourism and boost local economic development.

As well as promoting hydraulic power, Water Resources Agency Director Hwang Jing-san (黃金山) stressed conservation, adding that an expected water shortage in southern Taiwan between December and next April would be unavoidable due to insufficient rainfall this summer.

"The shortage of water in major reservoirs in southern Taiwan, however, will only affect the agricultural sector rather than residential use or the industrial sector," Hwang said.
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