TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung’s Construction Bureau has completed a citywide transition to light-emitting diode streetlights, a move aimed at cutting carbon emissions and speeding up repairs.
The city government said Saturday that Taichung operates about 268,000 streetlights and finished phasing out all sodium lamps by late 2025. Officials added that the city will now replace older-generation LED units so the entire network uses newer, more efficient models.
Construction Bureau Director Chen Ta-tien (陳大田) said the full upgrade is expected to save about 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. He added that the plan should reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40,000 metric tonnes annually.
UDN reported that the city has also installed brighter lighting, raising average road illumination from 12 lux to 40 lux to improve traffic safety. Maintenance has also become faster, with most faults now repaired within 24 hours instead of taking several days.
Youth Daily News reported that the project is designed to lower long-term costs by using more durable lamps and outsourcing maintenance to private firms. Under the system, companies handle repairs while the city pays service fees, which officials estimate will save about NT$130 million (US$4.1 million) in electricity and maintenance expenses over time.
“Basic infrastructure such as roads, streetlights, and drainage is often overlooked but plays a critical role in daily life in a large city,” Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said. Lu added that Taichung is the only city to secure verified voluntary carbon credits through a streetlight replacement program registered with the national greenhouse gas platform.
