Drilling starts on 4-km geothermal well in Yuanshan, Yilan County, Taiwan
Yuanshan Park, Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan (source: Juck30808, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
21 Oct 2024
Drilling has started on a 4-kilometer geothermal exploration well in the Yuanshan Township in Yilan County, Taiwan as part of a drilling campaign by CPC Taiwan.
CPC Taiwan and Academia Sinica has started drilling work on a deep geothermal exploratory well in the Yuanshan township of Yilan County, Taiwan. The “Yuanshan Well No. 1” will be drilled to a target depth of 4000 meters and is being drilled to help understand the geothermal heat sources in Yilan.
The start of drilling was marked by event where the Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei was in attendance. A detailed report on the productivity of the well is expected to be prepared by the first half of 2026. If there are sufficient geothermal resources, then the construction of a power plant can begin.
According to Academia Sinica President James Liao, it took 2 years to determine the location for the drilling of the exploratory well. Exploration methods including magnetotellurics, reflection seismic surveys, and seismic wave imaging were employed to establish a 3D model of the subsurface in the exploration area.
In 2022, CPC Taiwan and Academia Sinica signed a memorandum of cooperation for geothermal development, with exploration starting at the Honchailin area in the Sanxing Township of Yilan County. After two years of exploration work, the Yuanshan area was identified as the prospect for drilling.
The drilling in Yuanshan is only the first in a planned drilling campaign by CPC Taiwan corresponding to an investment of NTD 3.45 billion (approx. USD 107 million). Over the next two to three years, six wells will be drilled in Yuanshan, Tuchang, and other geothermal sites. CPC Taiwan emphasizes that it will drill and evaluate first, and that more deep wells will be drilled if necessary.
Yilan County has long been identified as one of the regions in Taiwan with plenty of geothermal potential. As Minister Kuo mentioned during the ceremony, the success of the Qingshui geothermal power plant highlights the advantages of geothermal development. Further geothermal growth in Yilan can make it a prime spot for data centers, thus also helping the local economy and making Yilan County a hub for digital centers.
Source: China Times and Taiwan News
