‘ORANGE’:Whether the deployment of three new power generators could ease the power supply problem would depend on how hot the weather turns out, an official said
Taipei Times
Date: Aug 09, 2017
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter
Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower, 台電) three new power generators, which began trial runs
A truck sprays water on a road in Taipei yesterday to cool the tarmac amid very high temperatures and dry weather. Photo: CNA
yesterday, are expected to provide a combined 415,000 kilowatts (kW) from today to help ease power supply constraints, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
“We do not rule out the possibility of revising the ‘red’ alert back to ‘orange’ [today] with the support from the new generators,” Bureau of Energy Deputy Director-General Lee Chun-li (李君禮) told a news conference.
The national power supply indicator on Monday flashed “red” for the first time this year, as the operating reserve fell below 900,00kW. Taipower said at the time that it could remain in that state every day through Friday because of increasing power demand due to the hot weather.
The operating reserve yesterday plunged to 624,000kW, or a reserve margin of 1.72 percent, as power demand surged to a historic high of 36.26 gigawatts (GW) at 1:54pm when the mercury rose above 37oC, Taipower said. [FULL STORY]