Starting from 1888, when the first electric light was installed on the island of Taiwan, the history of the electric power industry’s development in Taiwan has spanned over a century. The numerous large and small power facilities across Taiwan are not only witnesses to Taiwan’s economic development but also hold significant historical value as cultural assets once they complete their missions. In addition to ensuring a stable power supply, Taipower has been actively promoting cultural heritage preservation in recent years. Today, it established a national-level cultural heritage venue, the Taipower Collection Center. The Center houses nearly 1600 precious historical artifacts such as the corporate seal used by Taiwan Electric Power Co., a 1960s hydrological survey instrument called a “cup-type current meter”, 19th-century photographs of power plants, engineering drawings, and official documents. Taipower stated that the Center will be used for academic research and will integrate the principle of digital openness. The public can also browse various artifacts via the Electric Power Industry Collection Site.

• The Taipower Collection Center opened on January 24, 2024, at the Taiwan Power Wan-Long Building and distinguished guests were invited to leave their handprints as commemorative artifacts. (From left to right in the photo: Taipower Director of Secretariat Office Wei-Kuang Huang, Former Chairman of Taipower Wen-Chen Chu, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Acting Chairman of Taipower Wen-Sheng Tseng, Taipower President Yao-Ting Wang, and Taipower Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai.)

The Taipower Collection Center opened on January 24, 2024, at the Taiwan Power Wan-Long Building. The ceremony was attended and witnessed by distinguished experts and scholars from the fields of cultural and historical studies, including Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Acting Chairman of Taipower Wen-Sheng Tseng, Taipower President Yao-Ting Wang, Deputy Director of the National Science and Technology Museum Pei-Hsiu Wu, Director of the Taiwan High-Speed Rail Museum Yi-Han Wu, and Director of the Yilan County Historical Museum Ying-Jie Liao. Taipower expressed its hope that the Taipower Collection Center will be able to record the complete history of Taiwan’s electric power industry. The Center also aims to become a platform for cultural exchange within the electric power industry, thereby realizing the preservation and maintenance of cultural assets.

Taipower explained that in response to the government's 2016 revision of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, which aimed to strengthen and promote the preservation of Taiwan’s land and historical artifacts and align with the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Taipower launched the “Cultural Heritage Preservation, Operation, and Maintenance Project” in the same year. This project focused on 13 themes, including the Zhuoshui River Basin, Dajia River Basin, hydropower generation in the eastern region, Taipower Sports Teams, documentary archives, the evolution of distribution technology, power generation on offshore islands, and onshore thermal power generation. Inventory of cultural assets was conducted through data collection, field surveys, and oral history, resulting in the documentation of 5541 artifacts in total. Among these, due to considerations for the preservation environment, and management and maintenance needs, generators, plaques, and other large cultural artifacts have been preserved on-site.

To properly preserve electrical artifacts, Taipower invited experts and scholars from the National Archives Administration, the National Taiwan Museum, and the National Taiwan Science Education Center to engage in joint discussion, aiming to establish a national-level collection center.  After more than 7 years of preparation, the Center officially opened today. The Taipower Collection Center’s 380 ping space includes five areas: a collection preparation area, a digitalization work area, cultural relic storage rooms, archive storage rooms, and a multi-functional area. All of these areas adhere to national archival preservation standards for disinfection procedures, temperature and humidity control, and floor load capacity. The Center also adopts museum-quality display cases and filing cabinets.

• The Taipower Collection Center’s 380 ping space includes five areas: a collection preparation area, a digitalization work area, cultural relic storage rooms, archive storage rooms, and a multi-functional area.

Taipower stated that among the documented cultural artifacts, 1596 items have already been entered into the Center’s collection, and there are plans for continuous expansion of the collection in the future. Among these, the corporate seal left by Taipower’s predecessor, Taiwan Electric Power Co., is an extremely rare artifact. This is because official seals are typically required to be returned to the issuing agency for destruction when they are replaced. However, this century-old wooden seal remains in Taipower’s possession. It is speculated that during the transitional period of takeover after the war, the wooden seal managed to avoid destruction. Today, it stands as the prized possession of the Center, a witness to historical events.

• The corporate seal of Taiwan Electric Power Co., the predecessor of Taipower, witnessed the history of the power industry takeover after the war. It is considered the prized possession of the Taipower Collection Center.

Additionally, the Center records Taiwan’s earliest era of green energy, which primarily focused on hydroelectric power. The first hydroelectric power plant was commissioned during the Japanese colonial period in 1905. At that time, all power development plans required long-term hydrological surveys and planning. Thus, various measurement tools played key roles in the development of green energy. Among the artifacts displayed in the Center is an airplane-shaped “cup-type current meter”. The device was used by Taipower personnel in the 1960s. Its water current-driven rotating blades would make contact with coils, calculating values such as current rate and velocity. This device is not only a vestige of Taiwan’s river currents from 60 years ago but also a witness to the moments when electric lights were lit on the island of Taiwan.

• This airplane-shaped “cup-type current meter” was a measurement instrument used by Taipower personnel in the 1960s for hydrological surveys. It recorded Taiwan’s earliest era of green energy, which focused mainly on hydroelectric power generation.

Taipower stated that the Taipower Collection Center serves four major functions: professional collection, sharing platform, digital collection, and cultural exchange. In addition to providing resources for academic research purposes, the Center also allows the public to browse its artifacts through the Electricity Industry Collection Site (https://collection.taipower.com.tw/). This enables the artifacts to be preserved while also achieving digital openness and information exchange.

Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai

Contact Number: (02)2366-6271/0958-749-333

E-mail: u910707@taipower.com.tw

Contact Person: Director Wei-Guang Huang, Secretariat Office

Contact Number: (02)2366-6300/0989-505-025

E-mail: u787263@taipower.com.tw