TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) averted a potential power rationing crisis in Taipei and Keelung on the evening of Monday (April 15) and assured there would be no need for power rationing.
The crisis was triggered by a malfunction in the No. 8 generator at the Datan Power Plant, which caused the standby capacity to turn to an orange alert during the peak evening hours.
"There's no need for power rationing in Taipei and Keelung," Taipower spokesman Tsai Chih-meng said. "I think the earthquake on April 3 did cause some damage to the generators."
Taipower admitted that recent hot weather across Taiwan has increased electricity usage. April 15 was expected to be the highest electricity load this year.
In response to the generator malfunction during the peak night-time period, Taipower convened a power supply operation meeting. The company managed to maintain a stable power supply through emergency dispatch mechanisms and flexible measures such as pumped-storage hydroelectricity.
Taipower plans to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the earthquake's impact on the generators during the weekend when the load is lower in hopes of reducing the occurrence of power supply issues.