International engineering consultancy COWI and Taiwanese engineering firm SINOTECH Engineering Consultants have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on geothermal energy development in Taiwan, with a particular focus on advancing the country’s emerging super-hot geothermal sector.
The agreement designates COWI as SINOTECH’s preferred international partner for geothermal projects in Taiwan and establishes a framework for long-term cooperation as the island seeks to expand renewable baseload power.
Taiwan is accelerating efforts to diversify its energy mix as it pursues long-term decarbonisation and energy security goals. While offshore wind and solar have driven much of the country’s renewable expansion, geothermal energy is increasingly being viewed as a reliable, around-the-clock power source capable of complementing intermittent renewables.
A key area of interest is super-hot or supercritical, geothermal energy, which taps underground reservoirs at extremely high temperatures and pressures. These resources have the potential to produce significantly greater energy output than conventional geothermal systems, making them an attractive option for countries with favourable geological conditions.
Taiwan’s tectonically active landscape offers promising geothermal potential, although the same complex geology also presents engineering challenges for drilling and resource development.
The partnership builds on a June 2026 visit by SINOTECH representatives and Taiwanese geothermal stakeholders to Iceland, where they met industry experts and explored the country’s globally recognised geothermal sector, including district heating systems and advanced drilling technologies.
COWI has spent more than five decades working on geothermal projects and has played a role in the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP), one of the world’s most ambitious efforts to develop super-hot geothermal resources. The company has contributed to work associated with IDDP-1, IDDP-2 and preparations for IDDP-3.
“Taiwan has set ambitious renewable energy targets and is actively exploring the potential of geothermal energy as part of its future energy mix,” said Jamal Assad, Senior Vice President of COWI International.
The two companies have previously collaborated on Formosa 1 Offshore Wind Farm, Taiwan’s first offshore wind project, which helped lay the foundation for the country’s offshore wind industry.
Under the new agreement, COWI and SINOTECH will jointly pursue opportunities to serve as Owner’s Engineers on future geothermal projects, providing technical advisory, engineering design and project support across the development lifecycle.
The partnership aims to combine COWI’s international experience in geothermal engineering with SINOTECH’s knowledge of Taiwan’s regulatory environment, stakeholder networks and local geological conditions.
As Taiwan explores the commercial potential of super-hot geothermal energy, the collaboration could help position both firms among the early participants in what is expected to become a significant new segment of the country’s renewable energy industry, while contributing to broader efforts to expand clean energy capacity across the Asia-Pacific region.
