CNA file photo

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) State-owned Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) reported Wednesday that the company recorded the highest electricity consumption that afternoon as the mercury soared with the approach of Typhoon Nepartak.

Taipower said the peak electricity consumption was recorded at 35.56 million kilowatts at 1:45 p.m., which was 175,000 kilowatts higher than the previous record of 35.385 million kilowatts set on July 2, 2015.

The percentage of operating reserves fell to an alarming 3.07 percent.

Taipower considers that it has sufficient electricity supplies when the operating reserve ratio stands at 10 percent or above.

The company said that eight out of the top 10 electricity consumption dates were recorded this year.

The third-highest power consumption was 35.209 million kilowatts set on June 23, followed by 35.16 million kilowatts on June 22, and 35.075 million kilowatts on June 24 -- all this year.

Rounding out the top 10 electricity consumption records were 35.049 million kilowatts on June 27, 35.044 million kilowatts on July 5, 35.041 million kilowatts on June 28, 34.994 million kilowatts on June 29 and 34.99 million kilowatts on July 15, 2014.

Taipower said it was keeping close tabs on the movement of Nepartak, which was located 780 km southeast of Hualien in eastern Taiwan, moving at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour in a west-northwesterly direction as of 5:30 p.m.

With a radius of 200 km, the storm was carrying maximum sustained winds of 209 kph, with gusts of up to 263 kph, the Central Weather Bureau said.

(By Huang Li-yun and Lilian Wu)
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