Source: Republic of China Taiwan
Taipower joined hands with the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association (TMI Trail) for the first time, installing a total of 80 specially designed wayfaring markers on utility poles along three national greenways in northern, central, and southern Taiwan: the Tamsui-Kavalan Trail, the Raknus Selu Trail, and the Mountains to Sea Greenway. Today (April 18) an unveiling ceremony was held at a Shiding Trunk Line utility pole behind Shiding Elementary School in New Taipei City. A Taipower representative expressed that these “greenway power poles” not only serve as trail markers between mountains, forests, and shorelines, the numbers displayed on the pole identification plates also contain wayfinding information, guiding hikers safely forward, and reminding the public of the close bond between electricity and daily life.
To mark Taipower’s 80th anniversary. Taipower has taken utility poles-a familiar site in everyday life-and transformed them into greenway wayfinding markers. Today Taipower also held an event at Shiding Elementary School: Where there’s a light, there’s a trail! Taipower 80th Anniversary Technician Experience. The event was attended by Taipower Chairman Tseng Wen-Sheng, TMI Trail Executive Director Chou Sheng-Hsin, New Taipei City Government Economic Development Department Director-General Sheng Hsiao-Jung, Taiwan Power and Energy Engineering Association Chairman Liu Wen-Hsiung. At the event, these esteemed guests worked together with members of the public to jointly experience carrying a 60 m cable weighing approximately 250 kg, allowing them to personally understand the physical demands faced by Taipower personnel. They also visited the Tamsui-Kavalan Trail, to experience the fun and practicality of letting utility poles guide the way.
A Taipower representative expressed that power facilities throughout Taiwan-both large and small-document 80 years of hard work by the Taipower personnel who built the network. In particular, the construction of utility poles and power lines along mountain trails is no small feat, often requiring workers to carry equipment and materials by hand over difficult terrain. When a natural disaster such as a typhoon or an earthquake causes a power outage, emergency repair crews must overcome severe weather and rugged terrain, hiking to affected locations on foot while wearing heavy protective equipment. During the Technician Experience, participants also had an opportunity to wear workers’ actual equipment, helping them understand the everyday toil of frontline personnel while symbolizing Taipower’s mission of maintaining a stable electricity supply.
This collaboration between Taipower and TMI Trail installed wayfaring markers on utility poles along the Tamsui-Kavalan Trail, the Raknus Selu Trail, and the Mountains to Sea Greenway-trails widely beloved by the public-giving utility poles an additional navigational function. Additionally, each utility pole has a blue pole identification plate, bearing the power coordinate number, just like an ID card. This also serves as important location information for the public. A Taipower representative explained that the power coordinate system divide the map of Taiwan into 25 coordinate areas from A to Z. Each area is further divided into numbered sectors, which are used with Taipower’s Coordinate Mapping System website to achieve accurate location identification, similar to a radar system.
A Taipower representative also shared some trivia about the utility pole plate number: Because poles are numbered outward from areas with higher electricity demand and greater population density, the pole number shown in the middle of each identification plate generally starts with lower numbers in downtown areas and gradually increase as you move toward suburban and mountainous areas. If you’re lost in the mountains, you only need to observe the utility pole identification plates and head in the direction of decreasing numbers, following the power line back to a populated areas. These ordinary power poles become invisible navigators, protecting our safety at critical moments.
Spokesperson: Chief Administrator Huang Mei-Lien
Phone: (02) 2366-6271; 0922-696-383
E-mail: u030573@taipower.com.tw
Contact Person: Department of Power Distribution Director Jao Yu-Chen
Phone: (02) 2366-8669; 0939-890-208
E-mail: u149005@taipower.com.tw