Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) held a press conference on Underground Power Line Renewal at the Ministry of Economic Affairs today (18th). As cities continue to develop, underground power lines installed in earlier years are gradually reaching the stage where renewal is necessary, while regional power supply capacity must also be adjusted to keep pace with growing electricity demand. In response, Taipower has identified priority areas for improvement across Taiwan's six special municipalities, covering 18 administrative districts, and launched an underground power line renewal project to strengthen urban power grid resilience. Taipower emphasized that a reliable electricity supply is essential to urban competitiveness and that power infrastructure development requires the collective support of local governments and stakeholders to accelerate improvement projects and ensure a safe and stable electricity supply.
Taipower stated that underground power lines were first installed in the 1960s along Zhongxiao West Road in Taipei City, with underground installation subsequently expanding across Taiwan. Many of these early underground cables have now been in operation for several decades. Although Taipower has continued to maintain and replace aging infrastructure, urban economic development has led to a substantial increase in electricity demand from households and commercial establishments in metropolitan areas. As a result, some power lines are now carrying loads beyond their originally designed capacity, leading to problems such as cable burnout and equipment failures. To strengthen urban power grid resilience and ensure the quality and reliability of electricity supply, Taipower has mobilized 10 district offices across Taiwan's six special municipalities to identify priority areas for improvement in 18 administrative districts. Based on key criteria such as equipment age, load growth, and underground space constraints, Taipower is implementing an underground power line renewal project to upgrade urban electricity infrastructure.
Taipower pointed out that underground space in metropolitan areas must accommodate multiple utility networks, including electricity, water, and natural gas pipelines. During emergency repair operations, Taipower frequently encounters cable conduits that have been damaged by road construction, sewer installation, or other excavation work. In such cases, road surfaces must first be excavated and the damaged conduits repaired before power cables can be replaced, resulting in longer power restoration times. Furthermore, some areas with highly congested underground utility networks are experiencing insufficient conduit capacity, creating situations where existing cables cannot be pulled out for replacement, while no space is available to install new cables. These problems have significantly increased the difficulty of carrying out underground power line renewal operations.
Taipower explained that, to address the challenges posed by external interference and limited underground space, it has adopted a strategy of new infrastructure installation and phased cutover. Under this approach, new cable conduits and backup power lines are first installed along road sections where sufficient underground space remains available. The backup lines are then used to supply electricity to areas where underground space is already saturated, allowing aging power lines to be replaced through phased excavation and sectional upgrades. This approach effectively minimizes disruptions to electricity supply during construction while further strengthening distribution system resilience through the coordinated use of renewed infrastructure and backup power lines.
Taipower emphasized that a reliable electricity supply is essential to urban competitiveness, while power grid infrastructure development is crucial for supporting the future growth of cities. Achieving these goals requires the collective support of local governments and stakeholders. Regarding underground power line renewal, Taipower hopes to strengthen collaboration with local governments to coordinate construction permits for nighttime work or extended construction hours to minimize traffic disruptions. It also seeks to facilitate cross-agency coordination and the sharing of public works information to prevent repeated road excavation and ensure efficient use of underground space. For major urban renewal and new development projects, Taipower encourages planners to reserve space for shared utility conduits, substations, and other electrical infrastructure during the initial planning stages. This would not only enhance regional power supply redundancy and operational flexibility but also accommodate future electricity demand from industrial development. Taipower also urged electricity users to conduct regular inspections of their internal electrical wiring systems and proactively replace aging equipment as a preventive measure, working together to build safer, more reliable, and more resilient urban power grids.
Spokesperson: Huang, Chief Administrator
Phone: (02) 2366-6271; 0922-696-383
Contact Person: Director Rao, Department of Power Distribution
Phone: (02) 2366-8669; 0939-890-208