Ministry of Economic Affairs Honors 18 Outstanding Public Works Emphasizing Sustainability and Innovation

The Ministry of Economic Affairs held an award ceremony today to honor the Water Resources Agency, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC), and CPC Corporation, Taiwan for their outstanding performance in the field of public works, with a total of eighteen projects receiving the "Public Works Excellence Award." This award not only affirms the quality of individual cases but also symbolizes the government's ongoing determination to pursue excellence and sustainability in infrastructure. The winning units have completed projects featuring high performance, durability, and safety across various fields, providing solid support for daily public life and industrial development.

Since its establishment by the Executive Yuan, the Public Works Excellence Award has become a key indicator for measuring the quality of domestic large-scale infrastructure. The selection process is rigorous, requiring not only that construction blueprints match actual completion, but also placing high importance on cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and maintenance management mechanisms. While past editions of the awards largely focused on traditional infrastructure such as roads, bridges, ports, and waterways, this year's winning projects cover critical areas including water resource management, power transmission, water supply systems, and oil and gas pipelines. This demonstrates that the government is gradually expanding resource allocation and quality supervision into broader public service sectors.

For the Water Resources Agency, the award-winning projects are largely related to flood control and drainage, irrigation scheduling, and reservoir regulation systems. These facilities not only enhance disaster prevention resilience but are also directly tied to the stability of agricultural irrigation and urban water supply. Taipower's winning projects focus on power grid upgrades and smart transformations, improving power transmission efficiency and supply reliability through the introduction of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission and automated control platforms. TWC achieved notable results in the renewal of water supply networks and leakage management, effectively reducing water resource waste and enhancing user water safety. CPC Corporation's award-winning projects involved the safety reinforcement and environmental monitoring of oil and gas storage and transportation facilities, ensuring that energy supply chain stability and environmental protection advance in tandem.

In its award citation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs explicitly stated that future public works will be centered around "energy conservation and carbon reduction," aligning with the nation's long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Various units have already begun introducing low-carbon building materials, renewable energy, and smart monitoring systems during the planning and construction phases, hoping to reduce overall carbon emissions through technological innovation. For instance, in the construction of power transmission lines, high-conductivity aluminum alloys and designs that reduce the number of support towers were adopted; in water supply systems, solar-powered pump stations and rainwater harvesting devices were installed, combining energy savings with resource reuse. These concrete practices not only align with international sustainable development trends but also add green advantages for Taiwan in global supply chain competition.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Economic Affairs emphasized that it will continue to improve the review and supervision mechanisms for public works while encouraging private enterprises and academic institutions to participate in technological research and development to enhance overall construction quality and innovation capacity. Through the positive feedback of the incentive mechanism, it is expected to inspire more units to pursue excellence in quality, efficiency, and environmental protection, further elevating the utilization efficiency of public resources and social trust. Overall, this year's Excellence Award is not only an affirmation of past efforts but also an important milestone in driving Taiwan's infrastructure toward a high-quality, low-carbon transformation. (Source of facts: Central News Agency)