Having laid mostly quiet for 11 years, Shihmen Power Plant is once again ready to ramp up to its designed electricity generation capacity after earlier silting caused by storms blocked water supply to its generators. The newly-reopened plant should guarantee a boost to domestic electricity supply during peak season. Recent rains have helped Shihmen Reservoir reach full water levels. Shihmen Reservoir is located in Taoyuan City and is one of Taiwan’s largest reservoirs. Yang Kui-langShihmen Power PlantFrom January until May of this year, the accumulated rainfall in the catchment area was the eighth-highest on record. Under these circumstances, Shihmen Reservoir has enough water to generate electricity at full capacity.Typhoon Aere in 2004 caused serious sedimentation at Shihmen Reservoir, and subsequent storms and droughts were unable to resolve the problem. This meant that up until recently, Shihmen Power Plant could generate electricity at only a fraction of its capacity.Chiu Chung-chuanNorthern Region Water Resources OfficeHigh turbidity affected downstream water supply, and the Taiwan Water Corporation has more difficulty handling water with high turbidity.During the past two years, the generators at Shihmen were closed as part of a construction project to bring the plant back to normal electricity generation capacity. Now, the plant can generate power around the clock.With sedimentation issues cleared up and its generation equipment newly renovated, Shihmen Power Plant will once again commence electricity generation this summer. Though the plant only provides about 0.15 percent of Taiwan’s total electricity production, its environmentally-friendly contribution cannot be overlooked in light of recent power shortages.
