Taiwan begins drilling of first deep geothermal well

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) CPC Corp., Taiwan in collaboration with Academia Sinica started drilling Taiwan's first deep geothermal well in Yilan County's Yuanshan Township on Monday, with the work expected to take 18 months, according to the state-owned oil company.

Taiwan is rich in geothermal resources. The country's shallow geothermal energy potential is about 1 gigawatts (GW) and its deep geothermal energy potential has an estimated high of 40GW, with the potential to develop 10 GW of geothermal energy, Economic Affairs Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said at a ceremony marking the start of the drilling, citing a study by the ministry's Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency.

The success of Yilan's Qingshui geothermal power plant highlights the county's advantages in geothermal energy development, Kuo said, adding that it not only creates clean energy and job opportunities, but also promotes local economic prosperity.

Yilan has long been recognized as having the greatest potential for geothermal energy generation in Taiwan, with numerous hot springs in the northeast county.

Meanwhile, Kuo said if data centers can be built near local geothermal plants using local green energy, this would help to generate economic benefits for Yilan County government and make Yilan a hub for digital centers.

He also said the Ministry of Economic Affairs will help nurture talent in the geothermal energy industry by providing subsidies in order to build a complete supply chain and make geothermal energy a pillar of the country's transition to clean energy.

If the drilling project is successful, it could be quickly replicated, he said, adding that Taiwan could have the potential to develop up to 1,000 geothermal wells.

In the future, geothermal energy could be developed into another green energy industry with great advantages for Taiwan, Kuo added.