TPC hosted the “2021 Chinese New Year Celebration” today, and will be expediting on digital transformation and smart grid construction, as well as cultivating a circular economy, as the new year arrives. Yang Wei-fu, Chairman of TPC, commented that the electricity usage is expected to hit new high this year, though the new units for the independent power producers, along with the three offshore wind farms and solar plants, will be continuously established, in order to ensure a stable supply of power.
TPC pointed out that the electricity usage climbed to a new high of 38.02 MW at peak load during 2020 under the blazing heat, yet the operating reserve was kept at above 10%, and the daily power supply signal indicated sufficiency.
▲TPC hosted an online Chinese New Year celebration through a video conference with a total of 84 units from all around Taiwan. (Source: TechNews)
Yang commented that there will be three major programs in the future, among which the gas-fired power plant is currently in full swing, whereas the Hsinta Power Plant in the south and the Tatan Power Plant in the north are in the midst of construction, and the Taichung Power Plant has been contracted out and awaits approval from the Taichung City Government in terms of urban design before commencing construction. Tongxiao Power Plant, Hsieh-ho Power Plant, and natural gas terminals are also under environmental impact assessment, which indicates that gas-fired power plants will become the primary source of power generation for Taiwan in the future.
Regarding green energy, the largest 150MW solar power plant in Taiwan located in Tainan Yantian that was autonomously established by TPC had comprehensively connected to the grid during mid-September 2020, and two wind turbines for the first phase of wind power are now in pilot run after generating the first watt of power at the end of last year. Yang stated that the target for the first phase of construction is to complete the commercial operation of 21 wind turbines by the end of August, and the second phase that comprises of 300MW is currently in pre-construction preparation, with commercial operation expected to happen between 2024 and 2025, indicating that offshore wind power is also a key project of TPC.
TPC also strives to improve on the intelligence of the power dispatching system, as well as accelerate on the speed of response and refine on the forecasting system, and has initiated a pilot run for the smart grid in Kinmen, where the highest penetration rate of renewable energy at 40% is located. Yang commented that he looks forward to the preparation of the substantial degree of renewable energy from the experience of Kinmen, and that 1.1 million units of smart electric meters had been installed by the end of last year.
Taiwan has sustained a comparatively lower level of impact compared to overseas, and TPC expects the usage of electricity to once again reach to a new height this year. Yang pointed out that the power usage had risen by roughly 200,000 kW during Chinese New Year, and the power usage is expected to grow for another 500,000 kW this year after the new height last year. Despite the exit of No.1 reactor from the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant this year, the gas-fired units of the independent power producer Chiahui Power Plant will be incorporated into the array of power supply during the first half of 2021, which will provide 500,000 kW of power, and the successive establishment of the 3 offshore wind farms as well as solar energy will also ensure a sufficient supply of power source.
(Cover photo source: TPC)