Located in Shihgang District, Taichung, the Shihshuike Creek Drainage Small Hydropower Plant is the first power plant in Taiwan to be led and promoted by a local government. It officially began operation in July 2024. To further improve the use of water resources, the Water Resources Bureau of Taichung City Government added a second phase power plant at the downstream drop structure of the first phase plant, making use of tailwater to realize the goal of secondary power generation. Construction of the second phase plant was completed in December 2025, and trial operation of the generating units is currently under way, adding new momentum to Taichung’s promotion of renewable energy and the revitalization of water resources.
Shih-Yi Fan, Director of the Water Resources Bureau of Taichung City Government, stated that the Taichung City Government began conducting potential assessments of municipally managed regional drainage systems in 2020, and launched the Taichung Small Hydropower Development Project in 2021. The city has also worked with private companies to put public-private collaboration in green energy development into practice. As the first achievement under this project, the Shihshuike Creek power plant is expected, under ideal operating conditions, to generate as much as 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to 2,000 renewable energy certificates each year. Through coordination by the city government, the green electricity and renewable energy certificates generated by the plant will be purchased by contracted enterprises, making the project an important example of local energy transition and sustainable development.
The Water Resources Bureau pointed out that Taiwan’s rivers are generally characterized by steep terrain and swift currents, making the development of hydropower highly challenging. The Shihshuike Creek power plant uses siphon type turbine units imported from the Czech Republic. Their greatest advantage is that they can be installed directly on existing drop structures without the need for large scale excavation or dam construction, thereby minimizing environmental impact. The plant is also the first in Taiwan to adopt this type of turbine unit. Combined with an innovative transverse interception ditch and a semi-shielded powerhouse design, the system effectively avoids flood impacts and responds flexibly to changing hydrological conditions. It has become the first small hydropower plant located on a municipally managed regional drainage system, serving as an innovative model that balances green energy development with ecological conservation and demonstrating the possibility of coexistence between urban infrastructure and nature.
(4/17*6)*Water Resources Bureau



Contact: Taichung City Water Resources Bureau
Contact No.: 04-22289111