Sun Moon Lake Second Hydroelectric Power Plant (Jugong Power Plant)

The Sun Moon Lake Second Hydroelectric Power Plant, originally known as the Nichigetsutan Daini Hatsudensho (日月潭第二発電所), was the second major component of Japan's ambitious Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric project in colonial Taiwan. Construction began in December 1935 and was completed on August 26, 1937, at a cost of 5.98 million yen. The plant was built at the confluence of Shuili Creek and Chonggui Creek in Shuili Township, Nantou County.

The facility was designed to maximize the energy potential of water already used by the first Sun Moon Lake power plant (completed in 1934). Tailwater from the first plant was channeled through a 4,409-meter intake tunnel to merge with water from Chonggui Creek, collected in the Chonggui adjustment reservoir. The plant utilized a 140-meter head of water to drive two German-manufactured AEG alternators paired with Voith Francis turbines, producing a combined output of 43.5 MW. Annual electricity generation reached approximately 150 million kWh.

The completion of the second plant was critical to Japan's wartime industrial strategy in Taiwan. Together with the first plant, the Sun Moon Lake system provided the electrical backbone for Taiwan's rapid industrialization during the late 1930s and early 1940s, powering aluminum smelting, chemical manufacturing, and other war-essential industries. The combined output of both plants made Taiwan one of the most electrified colonies in Asia.

In March 1945, during the closing months of World War II, both the first and second Sun Moon Lake power plants were targeted by two large-scale planned Allied (U.S. Army Air Forces) bombing raids. The attacks severely damaged the Jugong plant's switchyard equipment, transformers, and pressure pipes, crippling Taiwan's power generation capacity in the final months of the war.

After Japan's surrender, the plant was repaired and resumed operations under the Republic of China government. In 1946, Soong Mei-ling (Madame Chiang Kai-shek) bestowed the name "Jugong" (鉅工, meaning "great engineering work") upon the facility. The plant was merged with the Mingtan Power Plant on March 24, 1999, and now operates as the Mingtan Power Plant Jugong Branch. It remains in active service as one of Taiwan's heritage hydroelectric facilities.