Taipower activates 5 standby units to cope with low power reserve

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) said Wednesday it had activated all five of its standby units at its two power plants in Kaohsiung, as its operating reserves dropped to under 6 percent due to the hot weather and mechanical failures.

Four old coal-powered generators at the Hsinta Power Plant and one gas-powered unit at the Talin Power Plant have been activated to maintain an adequate reserve level during the nighttime peak hours, Taipower said.

On Wednesday morning, the power reserves dropped to 9.06 percent, triggering a "yellow light" warning, due to increased electricity usage over several consecutive hot days in northern Taiwan, the company said.

In addition, solar power output fell in southern Taiwan as a result of overcast skies and rainy weather in the afternoon, Taipower added.

The reserves have since fallen to 4 percent, Taipower said Wednesday night.

The company said the situation was exacerbated by a power deficit of 2,900 megawatts caused by problems at the Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung and the Linkou Power Plant in New Taipei.

Hsinta Power Plant's newer gas-powered generators has been shut down since Sept. 11 when a fire broke out there due to a gas leak, while the Linkou Power Plant's Unit 2 went offline on Monday after a system malfunction, followed by Unit 1 on Tuesday as a result of a pipe leak, Taipower said.

A power reserve of over 10 percent is considered "safe," while a reserve of between 6 and 10 percent triggers a "yellow light" warning, and below 6 percent prompts an "orange light" warning, which would likely result in power rationing, according to Taipower's website.