The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a two-year project to lay underground power cables throughout Taiwan’s outlying Orchid Island. Orchid Island has recently been pummeled by typhoons which destroyed power lines and homes, leaving residents without electricity. The cable project is expected to make the island more resistant to power outages during storms.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) speaking to reporters on Wednesday said that the island has a pressing need to improve its resilience during natural disasters. He says that the government has allocated a budget of NT$1 billion (US$31 million) for the project. He adds that he has requested Taiwan Power Company, Taiwan’s national power utility, finish construction within two years rather than the initial target of four years. He says he hopes the new cables will help alleviate local concerns about power outages in the long term.
Orchid Island is located off the southeastern coast of Taiwan and is historically inhabited by the Indigenous Tao people.