Trade group highlights Taiwan's geothermal energy potential

Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) An international consultant on Tuesday urged Taiwan to increase investment in geothermal development, arguing that its stable output could complement the island's fast-growing solar and wind power capacity.

Speaking at a media event hosted by the Trade Council of Denmark, Taipei, Vun Pui-lee (溫沛理), Asia-Pacific business development director at engineering consultancy COWI, said geothermal systems offer consistent heat flow and round-the-clock generation.

"The output of geothermal power is like natural gas; the volume of hot water you have and its temperature are both stable and constant," he said.

Such steadiness, Vun added, could strengthen Taiwan's energy resilience during geopolitical uncertainty.

"A liquefied natural gas terminal may not be able to operate in the event of a blockade," he said, noting that geothermal relies on no imported fuel and is unaffected by weather.

Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) Vice President Wu Chin-chung (吳進忠), who also spoke at the event, reiterated that offshore wind and solar remain the pillars of Taiwan's renewable transition due to limited land availability.

He cited Bureau of Energy data showing grid-connected renewable capacity rose from 1.92 gigawatts (GW) in 2016 to 19.31 GW in 2024 -- an increase of more than 1,000 percent.

However, Wu acknowledged that solar output drops sharply between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., even as electricity demand remains high. This daily imbalance led Taipower to adjust its time-of-use pricing in 2023 to encourage more daytime consumption.

Vun said geothermal avoids such intermittency issues and could serve as a stable, supplementary renewable source to help smooth fluctuations in the grid.

Former Economic Affairs Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) has previously cited a government study estimating Taiwan's shallow geothermal potential at around 1 GW and its deep geothermal resources at up to 40 GW, with a feasible development target of roughly 10 GW.

Vun said that reaching even 1 GW would be a major milestone, pointing to the Datun Mountain area in northern Taiwan as particularly promising.

According to the Geothermal Exploration System, Datun contains Taiwan's only measured geothermal well exceeding 180 degrees Celsius, reaching 245 degrees.

He added that geothermal plants generally have a smaller environmental footprint than large solar farms or offshore wind installations. Taiwan's biggest obstacle, he said, is not technical capability but regulatory restrictions.

Under current law, geothermal wells must be drilled vertically, unlike international practice that allows directional drilling beyond a landowner's subsurface boundary. As a result, "Taiwan's rigid law forces developers like CPC to miss the optimal path," Vun said.

Current research suggests that geothermal is not a scalable nationwide solution for Taiwan.

A 2024 study in Mathematics evaluating Taiwan's geothermal sites found that complex geology and difficult site-selection conditions remain "the critical challenge" for efficient development.

Similarly, a 2024 geothermal feasibility analysis conducted inside Yangmingshan National Park by National Central University researchers concluded that only a few specific sub-zones show conditions suitable for development.

Meanwhile, a 2025 energies contingent-valuation study estimated that even under optimistic public-acceptance and pricing assumptions, economically viable geothermal capacity would amount to only around 100-300 megawatts.