Taipower and the U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have been engaged in international exchange since 1987-a period of nearly four decades-collaboratively investing in hundreds of research projects related to power plant efficiency, energy usage big data, distributed energy, and energy storage. On July 30 and 31, Taipower and EPRI once again joined hands to conduct the Digital Transformation and LCRI Project Update Forum. Key topics included the importance of establishing artificial intelligence (AI) data centers close to power sources, as well as global energy transition trends, cutting-edge technology applications in the power industry, strengthening grid resilience, digital transformation, and AI applications. The forum aimed to deepen bilateral cooperation and jointly promote the development of forward-looking power technologies.

Representatives from Taipower and EPRI gathered yesterday and today to attend the Digital Transformation and LCRI Project Update Forum, where they engaged in deep exchange with numerous scholars and experts from industry–academia collaboration grid resilience projects. Chung Nien-Mien, general manager of the Taiwan Power Research Institute (TPRI), spoke on behalf of Taipower, discussing the topics of energy system transitions and comprehensive decarbonization. He shared Taipower's energy system transition strategy and provided an overview of the system's 60-year developmental trajectory, explaining that this is a pivotal moment for achieving the goals of energy transition and net-zero carbon emissions. Taipower will advance along three axes-net-zero transition, digital transformation, and resilient adaptation-and devote itself to building up core competitiveness through future key technologies as it marches toward net-zero sustainability. 

A Taipower representative expressed that during the conference, EPRI presented numerous visionary perspectives on international electricity development, including promotion of the Data Center Flexible Load Initiative (DCFlex), which it launched in October of last year (2024). The initiative explores how integrating AI data centers into power company grid operations can improve grid resilience. It also emphasizes the necessity of strategically building AI data centers near power plants or substations. EPRI recommended that AI data centers and power companies establish partnerships to jointly promote distributed energy generation, energy storage, and regional microgrids, which will strengthen power grid resilience measures and achieve a win–win scenario.

The recent large-scale power outage in the Iberian Peninsula further highlighted the urgency of strengthening power grid resilience. Adopting a global perspective, EPRI analyzed and investigated power grid resilience reliability planning and technology needs under the impacts of energy system transformation and extreme climate conditions. Moreover, in light of the AI-led digital revolution, EPRI provided an in-depth introduction to its newly-established Open Power AI Consortium, as well as case studies on generative AI integration in the energy sector. 
EPRI is a renowned U.S. non-profit research organization focused on the energy and electricity sector. It invests more than NT$13 billion annually in research and development, tracks international trends, and has established a transnational exchange platform that brings together more than 850 member companies from 45 countries, including France, Korea, Japan, and the U.S., drawing on their combined experience to propose energy development strategies, viewpoints, and response measures. Taipower has been collaborating with EPRI for almost four decades, and in May of 2024, Taipower joined EPRI's Low Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) to jointly invest in the research of low carbon and net-zero energy technologies and accelerate the development of a forward-looking decarbonization pathway. The LCRI's periodic achievements were also presented at the current forum.
A Taipower representative expressed that this exchange enabled Taipower to utilize EPRI's research and development capacity and assimilate EPRI's international experience. This will aid in promoting the development of future-oriented power technologies, ensure the stability of the energy supply for Taiwan's digital infrastructure, and forge a more resilient, smarter power grid infrastructure for Taiwan.  

Spokesperson: Vice President Tsai Chih-Meng
Phone: (02) 2366-6271; 0958-749333
E-mail: u910707@taipower.com.tw

Contact Person: Chung Nien-Mien, general manager of the Taiwan Power Research Institute
Phone: (02) 2360-1001; 0919-712-846
E-mail: u076075@taipower.com.tw