The water regime situation in Taiwan has sent out alarming signals. Rarely would this become the focus of global attention. If conditions further deteriorate, foreign investment institutes warn that it will exert a rather negative impact on trade such as the semiconductor industry, TFT-LCD panel industry, and PCB industry. Meanwhile, manufacturers that place a lot of emphasis on water resource management, as well as relevant green energy structures, are likely to benefit from the water scarcity wave.

impact analysis
       

According to statistics from the Water Resources Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), there are currently 11 reservoirs in Taiwan believed to have an effective storage capacity of less than 25% by the end of March 2021. Half of these dried-up reservoirs are located in the Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taichung areas. Water restriction measures in Taichung and Miaoli have already been initiated and water is supplied for five days and turned off for two. Such an alarming water regime has begun to impact the semiconductor and panel industries. Furthermore, water supply conditions in Taoyuan, an important PCB industrial hub, are not very optimistic. The Shimen Reservoir, which supplies water to Taoyuan, is found to have a water storage rate of less than 40%. If levels drop to the point that the water regime light turns yellow, water will be supplied at a reduced pressure. If rainfall levels do not improve, it is possible that this region will experience the "five days on, two days off" regime of other areas. 

   

As PCB manufacturing is a high water-consuming industry, no one dares to guarantee that the water situation won’t turn even more severe in the future as we face such uncertain changes to the climate. Therefore, companies must plan ahead and incorporate water resources into their long-term development considerations. Countermeasures for PCB manufacturing plants include the establishment of factory reservoirs as a first-stage measure, or signing a long-term contract with waterwheel companies to cope in times of emergency. As for second-stage measures, companies can make improvements to processes and equipment to reduce water consumption and increase water use efficiency. In third and final stages, companies must work to promote recycling of factory water resources or invest in an EDR industrial wastewater regeneration system to achieve zero wastewater. If PCB factories can carry out advanced deployment with regard to water resources, they can and should be able to effectively reduce the negative impact on company operations in the event of future water shortage crises.