Taipei: Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) and CPC Corp., Taiwan are joining forces to explore geothermal energy across the island nation. Next year, approximately 20 teams will embark on this endeavor, with the target of generating 1 gigawatt (GW) of geothermal power by 2028, according to Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lien Ching-chang. This announcement was made during a renewable energy summit, where Lien emphasized the government's commitment to advancing sustainable energy sources, including wind, geothermal, solar, and hydro power. According to Focus Taiwan, the government's long-term plan is to ensure that sustainable energy contributes between 60 to 70 percent of Taiwan's total power generation by the year 2050. This goal coincides with the global push towards net-zero emissions through the adoption of diverse clean energy technologies. In line with this vision, the CPC-Taipower teams are set to initiate a geothermal exploration project throughout Taiwan in 2025. This exploration is a continuation o f the work that began with the drilling of Taiwan's first deep geothermal well in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, in October. This drilling project is expected to conclude by June next year. Economic Affairs Minister Kuo Jyh-huei highlighted that Taiwan's shallow geothermal energy potential stands at approximately 1 GW, whereas the deep geothermal energy potential could reach as high as 40 GW, with the potential to develop 10 GW of geothermal energy. Taiwan's efforts in renewable energy are also reflected in its offshore wind power capabilities. Last year, Taiwan ranked seventh globally for offshore wind power installation capacity, with a generation capacity exceeding 2 GW. As of August this year, the nation had established 364 wind power plants with a total generation capacity of 2.7 GW. Despite these advancements, renewable energy accounted for only 10.5 percent of Taiwan's total electricity generation in the first nine months of 2024, a modest increase from 9.1 percent during the same period in 2023, bu t still below the government's target of 20 percent by 2025.
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