The China Post
Date: August 7, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI — The state-run Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) announced the year’s first red alert as the reserve capacity plummeted to 648,000 kilowatts (kW) Monday afternoon.

The power grid is only 148,000 Kw (the power used by about 5,000 central air-conditioning units in a day) from triggering a black alert, which typically entails power rationing.

Temperatures rose to a searing 38.5 degrees Celsius in Northern Taiwan on Monday, setting a record for the year not only for the region but for all of Taiwan.

Taipower spokesman Lin Te-fu (林德福) said that power use hit 36,017,000 kW at 2 p.m. Monday to leave reserves of 648,000 kW, which is well below the 900,000 kW threshold that prompts a red alert.    [FULL  STORY]