LIHI Certificate #207-I - Ma'an Dam Project, Taichung City

The Ma’an Dam Hydropower Plant certification review marks LIHI’s first exploration of project certification outside of the United States, expanding the Institute’s mission of promoting sustainable hydropower into an international context.

Monroe Drop Project
Project NameDajia River Power Plant Ma’an Dam Hydropower Station
LIHI Certificate No.
207-I
LIHI Certificate Term
April 18, 2025 - April 17, 2038
OwnerTaiwan Power Company
LocationHeping District, Taichung City
Location37.86 km from the Daija River Estuary
Installed Capacity133.5 MW
Average Annual Generation400,000 MWh
Facility TypeStorage/peaking
Regulatory LicenseFirst Electricity Generating Enterprise License Issuance: February, 1948; Re-issuance: March 31, 2025.

The Ma'an Dam Hydropower Plant Project is located on the Dajia River in Taichung City. It is part of a cascade of hydropower plants on the Dajia River that operate in a coordinated manner for hydropower, irrigation, and public water supply. The plant is operated by remote control from the main control room at the upstream Tianlun Power Plant.

The project was completed in December 1998. The main facilities include a concrete gravity dam, 303 meters long and 18.5 to 41.0 meters high. The dam creates an impoundment with a surface area of 19.9 hectares and a length of 900 meters upstream to the tailrace of the upstream Tianlun power station. The dam also creates a bypassed reach approximately 11 km long. Water is conveyed via a 7.5-kilometer penstock to a semi-underground power plant. The power plant houses two vertical axis Francis turbine generator units, each with an output of 66,750 kilowatts, for a total installed capacity of 133,500 kilowatts. The plant can generate 400 million kWh annually.The powerhouse discharges to a two-tiered adjustment pond which re-regulates the flow into the lower river. 

During operation, the discharge flow from the dam is flexibly adjusted to maintain the minimum conservation flow required to maintain aquatic habitat in the bypassed reach. The project also provides upstream and downstream passage for fish with public viewing, an observation deck, and a public Ecological Park with exhibits about hydropower.  

 

The assessment of Ma’an was conducted with the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) as part of a pilot program to assess the feasibility of a dual certification pathway (in accordance with the MoU between the HSA and LIHI). Both organizations are now seeking to conduct a second pilot in the United States.  If you are interested in learning more about the pilot or putting forward your project for potential dual certification, please reach out to the HSA and LIHI at info@lowimpacthydro.org and info@hs-alliance.org.

For more information on the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance's review of the Ma'an project, please click HERE.

For more information on the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance and their Hydropower Sustainability Standard, please click HERE.

Compliance Status

The Certificate includes the following facility-specific conditions:

Condition 1: Within 6 months, the Facility Owner must initiate consultation with appropriate regulatory agencies and recognized experts on whether the existing bypass minimum flow regime is adequate to protect fish including protected species, other aquatic species, and their habitats under current ecological flow guidelines applicable to the Project. In annual compliance submittals to LIHI, the Facility Owner must provide status updates on consultation, any agreements made, and any related studies that are conducted until it is confirmed that the current flow regime or any modified flow regime is sufficiently protective.  Sufficient progress toward satisfying the condition must be demonstrated in each annual compliance submittal. LIHI reserves the right to modify or add conditions, or to suspend or revoke the LIHI Certification if LIHI determines that sufficient progress is not being made over time.

Condition 2: In annual compliance submittals to LIHI, the Facility Owner must report on the status of implementation of current and future modifications to the fishways, and the status of any effectiveness evaluations; and must provide the results of any effectiveness studies that are conducted. Sufficient progress toward satisfying the condition must be demonstrated in each annual compliance submittal. LIHI reserves the right to modify or add conditions, or to suspend or revoke the LIHI Certification if LIHI determines that sufficient progress is not being made over time.

Condition 3: Within 6 months, the Facility Owner must initiate consultation with appropriate regulatory agencies and recognized experts on the need for additional investigation of downstream passage effectiveness. In annual compliance submittals to LIHI, the Facility Owner must provide status updates on consultation, any agreements made, any passage modifications, and any related studies that are conducted until it is confirmed that the downstream passage is sufficiently protective for all fish including protected species and eels. Sufficient progress toward satisfying the condition must be demonstrated in each annual compliance submittal. LIHI reserves the right to modify or add conditions, or to suspend or revoke the LIHI Certification if LIHI determines that sufficient progress is not being made over time.

Certification History 

January 13, 2026: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has issued a final decision on the certification of the Ma'an Dam Hydroelectric Project, LIHI #207-I. The project is located on the Dajia River in Taichung City. No appeals were received during the appeal period which closed on January 12, 2026. The 13-year certification term is from April 18, 2025 through April 17, 2038. Project information can be found below.

This decision is made notwithstanding the current eligibility rules of the program which exclude facilities located outside of the U.S. as this is a pilot project and not precedent setting for the LIHI program as a whole. We will use this experience to consider changes to our eligibility requirements, and any such changes would be put out for public review and comment.

December 11, 2025: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has preliminarily approved Low Impact Certification for the Ma'an Dam Hydroelectric Project, (pending LIHI #207-I) located on the Dajia River in Taichung City. This decision is made notwithstanding the current eligibility rules of the program which exclude facilities located outside of the U.S. as this is a pilot project and not precedent setting for the LIHI program as a whole. We will use this experience to consider changes to our eligibility requirements, and any such changes would be put out for public review and comment.

The full application and reviewer’s report are available below. This decision is preliminary pending the 30-day appeal window. Only those who commented on the initial application during the 60-day comment period are eligible to file an appeal. Such appeal needs to include an explanation as to how the Project does not meet the LIHI criteria. Appeal requests can be submitted by email to comments@lowimpacthydro.org with “Ma’an Dam Project” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 68 Harrison Ave Ste 605, PMB 113938 Boston, Massachusetts 02111-1929.

All requests will be posted to the website. The applicant will have an opportunity to respond and any response will also be posted. Requests must be received by 5 pm Eastern U.S. time on January 12 2026. If no appeal requests are received the certification term will be April 18 2025 through April 17, 2038.

September 17, 2025: Public notice of the review report is being made on the Taipower, HSA, and LIHI websites as well as to LIHI's email list and agency and interested party contacts provided by the Applicant. This is the first LIHI review of a non-US project and was conducted under the 2025 LIHI Handbook Revision 2.06 with a formal LIHI application submitted by the Applicant. We are using this experience to identify whether non-US projects could satisfy the LIHI criteria and standards, through dual certification with HSA. As such, we welcome comments on the Ma’an application as well as LIHI certification outside of the US and dual certification with HSA. The 60-day public comment period will close on November 17, 2025 and any comments received will be incorporated into a revised report and posted on the LIHI website. Comments may be submitted to the Institute online via the comment forms below.

Comments are welcome on the following topics: Ma’an Project application and LIHI review report; the process of this certification review; and dual certification with HSA.

English Comment Form
Mandarin Comment Form

Certification Files

Key Documents