Two power generators at Ho-ping Power Co (和平電廠) and one at Mailiao Power Co (麥寮汽電) yesterday went offline, reducing combined power supplies by 1.8 gigawatts (GW), state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) said.
The unexpected shut down of a generator at Ho-ping Power Co shut down unexpectedly due to a faulty motor, comes after Taipower reported that two generators malfunctioned last week.
The stoppage prompted the nation’s power reserve indicator to flash “orange” yesterday, with an operating reserve of 5.54 percent, Taipower data showed.
The nation’s power supply is not expected to flash “red” and should stabilize over the coming weeks due to improving power capacity, Taipower spokesman Lin Te-fu (林德福) said by telephone, adding that three generators are expected to resume operations today.
According to Taipower’s five-color warning system, “red” indicates power reserves have dropped below 900,000 kilowatts (kW) and “black” indicates that reserves have dropped to less than 500,000kW.
Taiwan’s operating reserve is forecast to reach 6 percent next week, Lin told the Taipei Times, adding that domestic electricity demand is likely to decrease amid cooler temperatures because of wet weather.
Taipower said it estimates its maximum power capacity would be 34.52GW today, while maximum power consumption is forecast at 32.7GW, which leaves an operating reserve of 1.82GW, or operating reserve of 5.56 percent.
The nation’s power supply is expected to remain “orange” until tomorrow and to “yellow” on Friday, the Taipower Web site said.
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