Fire at Kaohsiung power plant caused by gas leak: Taipower

Kaohsiung, Sept. 10 (CNA) A fire that broke out at Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung on Tuesday was caused by a gas leak from pipes on a heater, Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) said Wednesday.

Citing a preliminary investigation report, Taipower Chairman Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) told reporters that the problem appeared to have stemmed from a fault at a pipe joint called a flange on the gas turbine heater.

The fire mainly affected the Hsinta Power Plant's new natural gas Unit 2, which was in a trial operation phase, Tseng said.

The fire did not reach the main section of the unit, called 2-1, but damaged the 2-2 section, he said.

Taipower will carry out further investigations at the scene to determine what caused the gas leak at the flange, and the probe is expected to be completed by Saturday, Tseng said.

The company will also check the natural gas Unit 1 at the power plant, he said, adding that the inspection of that unit will be done on Thursday.

When the gas leak at Hsinta Power Plant's new natural gas Unit 2 was detected at around 7:57 p.m. Tuesday, the staff immediately shut down all systems and reported the incident, according to Tseng.

However, at 8:05 p.m., a fire broke out due to a leak of residual gas in the heater's pipeline, he said, adding that the fire was quenched about 15-20 minutes after firefighters arrived on the scene at 8:24 p.m. No injuries were reported, he said.

On Wednesday, Tseng apologized to the residents of Kaohsiung's Yongan District, whom he called neighbors of Hsinta Power Plant, which has been in operation since 1982.

However, he refuted the speculations by some residents that the gas leak had occurred because the pipe joints had not been properly welded as the contractors at the plant had hired unlicensed workers.

Meanwhile, Taipower said earlier Wednesday that it had taken action to stabilize the power supply in the wake of the fire.

Two generators -- one at Hsinta Power Plant and another at Talin Power Plant in Kaohsiung's Siaogang District -- were activated, Taipower said.

The percent operating reserve (POR) will be maintained at over 10 percent during the day, and 6 percent at night, Taipower said.

The POR indicates the company's ability to supply extra electricity in the event of an unexpected loss of supply or a sudden surge in power consumption.

A POR of 10 percent or higher is deemed as "adequate," as it is the highest level on the five-tier system listed on Taipower's website.