Taipei, July 11 (CNA) Electricity consumption in Taiwan on Tuesday hit its highest peak of the year due to continued high temperatures and less-than-expected rainfall in afternoon showers, state-owned Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) said that day.
Electricity consumption peaked at 35.48 million kilowatts at 1:40 p.m., with the operating reserve margin falling to 4.87 percent, or 1.73 million kW, as high temperatures hit most areas of the country.
In view of the weather conditions, Taipower estimated that power consumption will rise again the following day, and has alerted the Dalin power plant in Kaohsiung to provide emergency supplies to keep the operating reserve margin at around 5 percent, said Cheng You-tsai, an official of Taipower's Department of System Operations.
According to Taipower statistics, Tuesday's power consumption was the seventh-highest in its history.
The previous six highest power consumptions all fell in July and August last year.
Under Taipower's electricity warning system, an operating reserve margin above 10 percent shows a healthy green light, while an orange alert flashes when the power reserve falls below 6 percent, a red alert signals that it has dropped to less than 900,000 kW, and a black alert means it has fallen to less than 500,000 kW, making power rationing necessary.
