Jointly developed and constructed by Taipower and state-owned CPC Corp. Taiwan, the Renze geothermal power plant is the first geothermal power plant in Taiwan that has been fully built by state-owned enterprises. It is expected to play a vital role in achieving the goal of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of building 20 MW of installed geothermal power generation capacity by 2025.
In a statement, Taipower said that the Renze geothermal power plant will generate 4.7 million kWh of electricity per year. This will supply two-thirds of the power demand of the Datong Township where the plant is located, thus also displacing more than 2,300 metric tons of carbon emissions yearly.
Geothermal exploration at Renze had already been done back in the 1970s, along with the drilling of two wells – Renze-1 and Renze 2. However, development was not pursued at the time because of the lack of technology that will make geothermal power generation viable. Development plans were revived in 2018 with the formation of a national geothermal power generation team. Two additional wells were drilled – Renze-3 and Renze-4.
Taipower officials added that the power plant extracts heat from wells at a depth of around 1500 meters. Downhole temperatures are between 180 to 200 °C. The geothermal fluid passes through a heat exchanger, eliminating any contact with power generation equipment.
During the inauguration ceremony, MOEA Deputy Minister Tseng Wen-sheng emphasized that the opening of the Renze geothermal power plant was an important milestone for domestic power generation. Tseng said that the plant uses only 0.2 hectares of land, which is very small in the context of its capacity.
Tseng further said that the development of geothermal power in Taiwan will need new regulations and updated review processes so that deployment can be accelerated. There is also external pressure to develop more renewable energy sources, as Taipower said that the global supply chain is shifting to carbon neutrality and net-zero power generation.
