Taipei, May 24 (CNA) Taiwan's power supply system flashed a "yellow" warning light Monday due to high demand, after a coal-fired generator in Taichung suffered a breakdown earlier in the day, the state-owned power company said.
At noon, power consumption nationwide reached 36,604 megawatts (MW), or 91 percent of capacity, triggering a "yellow" alert that signals an operating reserve margin of 6-10 percent of total supply, Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) said.
The maximum power supply capability on Monday was 39,838 MW, and the operating reserve margin was expected to drop to 7.67 percent of total supply, or 2,838 MW, during peak consumption periods, according to Taipower.
The state-owned company said the No. 9 generator at its Taichung Power Plant went offline at about 4 a.m. Monday due to a pipeline shutdown but the power supply was not interrupted for long because the No. 6 generator at the plant was activated at 8:20 a.m. to connect with the grid.
Meanwhile, Taipower raised its projection for the daily average peak power consumption in the month of May, from 35,000 MW to 37,200-37,500 MW. At present, the operating reserve remains at 7-8 percent but no power rationing is likely despite the tight supply, it added.
Taipower had predicted a tight power supply for this week, saying a "yellow" alert was expected Monday to Friday, due mainly to heavy demand and ongoing annual maintenance on generators at four of its power plants.
Work on the four generators is expected to be completed between June 17 and July 19, Taipower said, adding they are at the Hsieh-ho Power Plant in Keelung, Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung, Dalin Power Plant in Kaohsiung, and Datan Power Plant in Taoyuan.
Amid rising temperatures, electricity demand has increased significantly this month, triggering a "yellow" alert in Taipower's supply system four consecutive days last week.
