Taipei, May 27 (CNA) A new high for power consumption in 2016 was set at 2:06 p.m. on Friday when Taiwan consumed 33,123.8 megawatts (MW) of electricity, according to state-run utility Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台電), as Taiwan was hit by sweltering temperatures.

The system had power reserves of only 1,275 MW, equal to a 3.85 percent reserve margin, and was close to the power rationing alert level of 900 MW, according to Taipower data.

The temperature in Chiayi City in southern Taiwan climbed to 37.2 degrees Celsius at 1:45 p.m. Friday, the highest in Taiwan so far this year.

It was also the highest for that weather station since records were first kept in 1968.

The previous power consumption record this year was 32,220 MW, set on May 26.

Taiwan's all-time high power consumption at any one point in time was 35,385 MW on July 2, 2015, according to Taipower data.

(By Milly Lin and Kuo Chung-han)
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