Taichung Power Plant

Taichung Power Plant was built in phases between 1986 and 2007 on the coast of central Taiwan. With 10 coal-fired units totaling 5,500 MW, it was the single largest coal-fired power plant in the world for much of the 1990s and 2000s. Two natural gas-fired units (2.6 GW combined) are being added to the site, with the first scheduled to enter service in the mid-2020s as the coal units are progressively retired.

Taichung produces roughly 12–15% of Taiwan's electricity and has historically been one of the largest single sources of CO2 emissions in the world. Its transition from coal to natural gas is the centerpiece of Taiwan's plan to phase out nuclear power (also planned) while still meeting growing electricity demand from the country's booming semiconductor sector.

At full coal operation Taichung emits approximately 35–40 million tonnes of CO2 per year, comparable to entire small developed nations. Air pollution from the plant has been linked to elevated respiratory disease rates in central Taiwan. The natural gas conversion is expected to cut CO2 emissions roughly in half per unit of electricity produced.

• Taichung held the title of largest coal-fired power plant in the world for over a decade.
• The plant's twin smokestacks are 250 metres tall—taller than most skyscrapers in central Taiwan.
• The site occupies about 2.8 square kilometres of reclaimed land along the Taiwan Strait.