Mingtan Dam Introduction
The industrialization of electricity - From white coal to gold, Sun Moon Lake is the hub of hydropower generation in Taiwan. Over the past eighty years, Taiwan Power Company has built major power plants such as Daguan, Jugong, Minghu, Mingtan, and the ShuiLi power plant along the banks of Sun Moon Lake and the ShuiLi River, as well as the Minghu and Mingtan reservoirs used for pumped-storage hydropower generation. The high density of power plants and reservoirs near Checheng is rare in the world. Tourists visiting each power plant and reservoir can experience the transformation of "water into electricity," and learn how to cherish resources, thereby adopting a macro perspective for the sustainable use and appreciation of nature’s resources. Sun Moon Lake is located at the geographical center of Taiwan, boasting a highly advantageous geographical position and beautiful scenery, and is renowned far and wide. With both conventional and pumped-storage hydropower resources, Sun Moon Lake has become a major hub for hydropower generation in Taiwan, with a total installed capacity of 2,768.3 kilowatts, accounting for 62% of Taiwan's hydropower generation. It is hailed as the best depiction of "turning white coal into gold," and in the current promotion of energy-saving, carbon reduction, and renewable energy, Sun Moon Lake is the ideal site for intelligent tourism. Mingtan Jugong Branch (Sun Moon Lake Second Power Plant, Jugong Power Plant) utilizes the water released from the Sun Moon Lake First Power Plant, conveyed through a 4,409-meter long water diversion tunnel, merging with water from the Tonggui Creek, entering the Tonggui adjustment pool for storage, generating electricity with a potential of 123.6 meters and producing 43.5 kilowatts of power. This project began construction in December 1935 and was completed in 1937. Originally named the Sun Moon Lake Second Power Plant, it was renamed Jugong Power Plant by Madame Chiang Soong Mei-ling in January 1963. In March 1999, it merged with the Mingtan Power Plant and is now referred to as the Mingtan Jugong Branch. Mingtan Power Plant (Mingtan Pumped Storage Power Plant) is the second pumped-storage power generation project in Taiwan and the largest hydropower project in Taiwan's history. Using Sun Moon Lake as the upper pool and Mingtan Reservoir as the lower pool, construction began in September 1987, and the six units began commercial operation between 1993 and 1994, utilizing a height difference of 380 meters to generate electricity. It drives six generating units with a total installed capacity of 1,602 kilowatts, making it one of the few giant pumped-storage hydropower plants in the world.
