The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has begun reviewing the Ma’an Hydropower Plant in Taichung City, Taiwan, marking its first certification effort outside the US.
The Ma’an facility, operated by Taiwan Power Company, is located on the Dajia River in the Heping District of Taichung. It is part of a series of hydropower plants on the river that work together to support power generation, irrigation, and public water supply. The plant, completed in 1998, has an installed capacity of 133.5 MW and produces about 400,000 megawatt-hours annually.
The project includes a concrete gravity dam, 303m long and up to 41m high, creating a 19.9-hectare impoundment. Water is carried through a 7.5km penstock to a semi-underground powerhouse equipped with two Francis turbine generators. The facility discharges to an adjustment pond that helps regulate downstream flows.
According to LIHI, the project is operated to maintain minimum conservation flows for aquatic habitat and includes upstream and downstream fish passage, public viewing areas, and an ecological park with exhibits on hydropower.
The review was conducted with the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) as part of a pilot program testing a dual certification pathway under a memorandum of understanding between the two groups. Both LIHI and HSA plan to pursue a second pilot project in the US.
Those interested in learning more or proposing projects for dual certification can contact LIHI at info@lowimpacthydro.org or HSA at info@hs-alliance.org.
