18 September 2002 - The state-run Taiwan Power Company plans to invest NT$4.5bn ($129.5m) in the next three years to build 60 wind power generation turbines along the western coast of the island, according to a Taipower spokesman.

The 60 power generation turbines will have a combined capacity of 100 800 kWh. The spokesman said that the Energy Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs will set aside a special budget for the installation of the wind power generation turbines and power transmission facilities.

It is estimated that the production cost for each kWh will be between NT$1.3 and NT$2.5, depending on the natural environment of the installation sites, he added.

While choosing the installation sites, Taipower has taken into consideration bird migration, the ecological environment, traffic as well as possible impacts on the surroundings in terms of noise pollution, he said. At present, Taipower has installed four wind electricity generation turbines on the offshore Penghu Island, with a combined capacity of 2400 kWh.

The production cost is around NT$1.58 per kWh, according to the spokesman. The spokesman said that since the island usually has windy weather only for half the year, wind power can only be used as a supplementary electricity supply.