TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s economics ministry has ordered checks on aging wind turbines after a Taipower unit caught fire at a wind farm in Mailiao, Yunlin County, on May 31.
The first checks will cover 76 Taipower turbines similar to the burned unit, with a one-month deadline for inspections and a three-month window for the Energy Administration to revise safety procedures, Deputy Economics Minister Lai Chien-hsin (賴建信) told lawmakers Wednesday, per CNA.
The cause of the fire, which broke out at the No. 17 turbine at Taipower’s Mailiao wind farm, remains under investigation. An earlier Taipower assessment pointed to possible overheating and burned components.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said Wednesday the damaged turbine entered commercial service in 2010 and had operated for about 16 years, per CNA. He added the Ministry of Economic Affairs has begun checking turbines in operation for more than 15 years and that replacement with newer units could improve both safety and generation efficiency.
Cho also said the incident showed Taiwan needs improved high-altitude firefighting capacity to support the wind power industry and reassure nearby residents, according to the report.
The issue came up during a Legislative Yuan Economics Committee meeting, where KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) questioned whether the government had clearly explained service life, maintenance, replacement, and safety rules for green energy equipment.
Lai said Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) had already instructed Taipower to review older units. The Energy Administration’s follow-up plan will cover maintenance management and operating requirements.
In separate remarks to students representing Taiwan at the KidWind 2026 Wind Energy World Competition, Cho said renewable energy generation from January to April had already matched the full-year total of 12.7 billion kWh recorded in 2016, per the report. He said this year’s renewable power output is expected to exceed three times the 2016 level.
