Taipei, July 13 (CNA) Taiwan's peak electricity demand on Tuesday soared to an all-time high, breaking the record set in May and sending operating reserves into the "yellow" warning range, according to state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower).
The peak consumption of 38,599 megawatts occurred at 2:59 p.m., and was driven by hot, sunny weather across Taiwan and high demand from residential customers staying at home amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the company said in a press release.
The spike in demand broke the previous peak consumption record of 38,444 MW set on May 27, Taipower data showed.
As a result, the grid's operating reserves fell from the forecast 8.97 percent to a low of 7.44 percent, both of which are within the 6-10 percent range defined as the "yellow" tight supply range, Taipower said.
Operating reserves refer to the generating capacity available within a short interval to meet demand if a supply disruption such as a generator failure occurs.
Taipower defines reserves lower than 6 percent as a "stage-1 emergency," while reserves over 10 percent are considered "adequate."
The utility said that when demand peaked on Tuesday, solar power generation was at 2,255 MW, accounting for 5.84 percent of the total supply.
As demand is expected to remain high during the evening and overnight hours, grid operators will activate hydroelectric power reserves to ensure adequate supply, the company said.
According to a forecast Taipower issued on Sunday, operating reserves could be as low as 8.39 percent on Wednesday and 8.49 percent on Thursday, before returning to levels above 10 percent from Friday through early next week.
Meanwhile, over the next two months, the company has forecast operating reserves ranging from a low of 10.92 percent in late July to a high of 12.87 percent in mid-September, both indicating "adequate" supply.
The utility has urged customers to voluntarily conserve electricity by setting their air conditioners at 26-28 degrees Celsius, noting that raising the temperature by one degree can reduce a household's consumption by around 6 percent.
Earlier this year, Taipower responded to spikes in demand by initiating rolling blackouts on May 13 and May 17, affecting over 4.6 million customers and sparking widespread public criticism.
The outages came amid an ongoing debate in Taiwan over energy policy, which has pitted supporters of the government's efforts to phase out nuclear power by 2025 against those who see nuclear as a necessary bridge until renewable sources become more viable.
Pro-nuclear campaigners succeeded earlier this year in petitioning for a national referendum on activating the long-mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei, which has since been postponed from Aug. 28 to Dec. 18 in light of the COVID-19 situation.
According to the Bureau of Energy, around 80 percent of Taiwan's power generation in 2020 came from fossil fuels (45.02 percent from coal and 35.7 percent from natural gas), compared with 11.2 percent from nuclear energy (down from the 16-19 percent it once contributed), and 5.4 percent from renewables, with the remainder coming from various other sources.
