Human error and systematic flaws triggered the power outages nationwide on Aug. 15, according to a government analysis published yesterday.
The Executive Yuan released the analysis after wrapping up its investigation into the incident.
The blackouts occurred after the natural gas supply to a major power plant in Taoyuan’s Datan Township (大潭) was abruptly cut off, causing all six generators at the plant to shut down, the analysis said.
Photo: courtesy of Taiwan Power Co
The ensuing power outages affected 5.92 million households, while 423 manufacturers reported losses and about 900 elevator shutdowns were reported.
Technicians employed by a contractor for state-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油), which manages a natural gas metering system connected to the power plant, committed several mistakes during routine maintenance.
The technicians did not switch the control of the metering system to manual and they cut off the power to the control system for 21 seconds, causing it to automatically shut down the gas supply valve, the investigation found.
CPC Corp should be held accountable for the errors, as there was only one CPC official supervising the replacement procedure conducted by the employees of the contractor, but the official left no record, it said.
CPC Corp also did not draw up a standard replacement procedure and failed to assess the risks involved in the contractor’s replacement procedure.
It also failed to timely inform Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電), which runs the Datan plant.
The design of the metering system is also flawed, as it puts too many important functions on one single control system, which, when not working properly, automatically shuts off the supply valve, the investigation found.
The gas supply is also run by a single pipeline with no backup system, the report said.
Taipower, although it handled the emergency generator shutdown and contingency power rationing efforts well, does not have a warning system in place to notify users of its rationing measures, causing inconvenience to the public, the investigation found.
Taipower then compounded the problem by shifting control of a generator at the Taichung Power Plant from manual to automatic without first confirming that the system was completely restored, causing the generator to trip.
To make improvements, both CPC Corp and Taipower should launch a comprehensive examination of their systems and management, to try to remove the possibility of human error and mismanagement, the report said.
The two companies should also establish an effective cooperation mechanism and multiple backup power generation systems, while improving their professional management and training, the report said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs would take disciplinary measures against all those involved, including CPC Corp and Taipower technicians and supervisors, the report said.
CPC Corp and Taipower staff deemed responsible for the incident are to be punished for negligence, and former officials whose duties involved the operations of the gas supply system in question would also undergo scrutiny, the ministry said.
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
INDO-PACIFIC REGION: Royal Navy ships exercise the right of freedom of navigation, including in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the UK’s Tony Radakin told a summit Freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region is as important as it is in the English Channel, British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin said at a summit in Singapore on Saturday. The remark came as the British Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, is on an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region as head of an international carrier strike group. “Upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and with it, the principles of the freedom of navigation, in this part of the world matters to us just as it matters in the