Sun Moon Lake Hydropower Generation
During the period of Japanese rule in Taiwan, the Taiwan Governor-General's Office sought to develop light industry by building on the existing colonial foundation, while maximizing the use of the island's water resources to meet the growing electricity demands of commerce and industry. In 1919, Taiwan Power Company was established to undertake the Sun Moon Lake Hydropower Project, harnessing the elevation differences between the Zhuoshui River, Sun Moon Lake, and the Shuili River to generate electricity.
The Zhuoshui River is the longest river in Taiwan, stretching 178.6 kilometers, but it does not naturally flow into Sun Moon Lake. As part of the Sun Moon Lake Hydropower Project, the Wujie Dam was constructed in the upper reaches of the Zhuoshui River. Water is diverted through a 15.12-kilometer system of tunnels, culverts, and open channels into Sun Moon Lake. The Shuishe Dam and Toushe Dam were also built along the lakeshore, transforming Sun Moon Lake into a large reservoir. Water from the lake is then channeled downhill to the Sun Moon Lake First Power Plant, now known as the Daguan Power Plant, where the steep elevation difference drives turbines and generators to produce electricity.
The First Power Plant was completed in 1934, making it the largest in Asia and the seventh largest in the world at the time. In 1937, the Sun Moon Lake Second Power Plant, now known as the Jugong Power Plant, was completed to generate additional electricity from the tailwater discharged by the First Power Plant.
To continue making effective use of Sun Moon Lake's water resources, additional projects were completed in 1985 and 1995, including the Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydropower Project and the Minghu Pumped Storage Hydropower Project. Today, the Sun Moon Lake hydropower system can be divided into two categories: conventional hydropower generation and pumped-storage hydropower generation.
This method uses the energy of river flow or water released from dams to drive turbines, which in turn power generators to produce electricity. After generation, the water is discharged downstream for agricultural, industrial, and domestic use. The present-day Daguan Power Plant (Daguan No. 1 Plant) and Jugong Power Plant operate using this method. Most hydropower facilities in Taiwan also employ conventional hydropower generation.
During off-peak periods, surplus electricity from the power system is used to pump water stored in a lower reservoir back to an upper reservoir through the original waterway, where it is stored for future use. The Mingtan Power Plant and Daguan No. 2 Plant (Minghu Power Plant) are examples of pumped-storage hydropower facilities.
The Daguan Power Plant (Daguan No. 1 Plant), Jugong Power Plant, Mingtan Power Plant, and Daguan No. 2 Plant (Minghu Power Plant) are all located in Shuili Township, Nantou County.
Sun Moon Lake is one of the few reservoirs in the world that supports large-scale pumped-storage hydropower facilities. By utilizing an elevation difference of approximately 380 meters, the system generates electricity through a continuous pumped-storage cycle, allowing water resources to be recycled continuously. This sustainable approach truly brings to life the idea of generating electricity multiple times from a single drop of water.