C-P-C and Academia Sinica have started drilling Taiwan's first deep
geothermal well.

The well is located in Yilan County's Yuanshan Township and work is expected
to take 18 months.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the start of the drilling, Economics Minister
Kuo Jyh-huei said Taiwan has a shallow geothermal energy potential of about
1-gigawatt, while its deep geothermal energy potential has an estimated high
of 40-gigawatts.

According to Kuo, those figure are based a study by the eonomic ministry's
Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency.

The government has said it believes the success of Yilan's Qingshui
geothermal power plant highlights Taiwan's advantages in geothermal energy
development - as it not only creates clean energy and job opportunities, but
also promotes local economic prosperity.

The economics minister told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony that
if data centers can be built near local geothermal plants using local green
energy, it will help generate economic benefits for Yilan and make that
county a hub for digital centers.