Several academics and specialists yesterday said Taiwan has the natural resources to develop geothermal energy, but there are still many obstacles that need to be overcome, including strict regulations and a lack of government funding.
While government officials from related agencies say they look favorably upon developing geothermal energy, legislation needs to be amended and a Bureau of Energy official said it would be difficult to replace nuclear power in the short term.
The remarks were made at a public hearing on developing geothermal energy in Yilan held by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
Song Sheng-rong (宋聖榮), a professor at National Taiwan University’s Department of Geosciences, said an estimated 33,640 megawatts of electricity could be generated by using geothermal energy in four main areas — Hualien and Taitung, Nantou, Yilan and the Tatun (大屯) Volcano Group in Taipei.
It is wrong for the government to use a failed geothermal power plant test in Yilan County’s Qingshui (清水) between 1981 and 1993 as an excuse for refusing to invest in geothermal energy, Song said.
Song said the early stages of developing geothermal energy — exploration and drilling — have the highest risks and would need more government support, but on the whole, geothermal energy is relatively cheap, safe and clean.
After analyzing the environmental conditions at the four main hot spring and active fault areas, Chen Wen-shan (陳文山), a professor at National Taiwan University’s Department of Geology, said Lanyang Plain (蘭陽平原) in Yilan County is the best area to develop geothermal energy, while mountainous areas of Nantou County are probably only suitable for small-scale development.
Lee Chao-shing (李昭興), professor of applied geosciences at National Taiwan Ocean University, said the geysers in northern California are the world’s largest geothermal field, containing 22 geothermal power plants which can generate about two times the electricity of the proposed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).
Moreover, geothermal energy accounts for 25 percent of Iceland’s energy resources and the country has the least carbon emissions in the world, he said, adding that nearby countries such as the Philippines and Japan are also developing geothermal energy and Taiwan should make use of this natural energy resource too.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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