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Control Yuan blasts Taiwan Power over electricity rationing

The Control Yuan censured Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) yesterday for its "obvious shortcomings" in the handling of a power shortage that led to rationing for hundreds of companies on May 8.

The Control Yuan's report said the shortage stemmed from Taipower's heavy reliance on natural gas to produce electricity and its failure to coordinate with Chinese Petroleum Corp (中油) to ensure a stable supply.

According to the report, this year's drought has left many of Taipower's hydroelectric power-generating stations idle. That in turn has meant an increased dependence on natural gas to generate electricity.

But the supply of natural gas from Chinese Petroleum wasn't enough to meet Taipower's needs and the utility failed to heed the company's warnings of a shortfall, the Control Yuan said.

"Taipower has apparently been negligent," Control Yuan member Chang Teh-ming (張德銘) said.

According to Chang, internal Taipower documents showed that company officials were notified by Chinese Petroleum in a faxed message on May 6 that a temporary shortage of gas was likely over the next three days.

Taipower officials later claimed they didn't receive the message from Chinese Petroleum until May 8. The message stated that additional gas supplies would be imported on May 9.

"Taipower failed to respond to the notice of the natural gas shortage, causing surprise among those affected when rationing was announced the same day," Chang said.

But Taipower officials claim that Chinese Petroleum had contacted them by telephone on May 6 to say that the gas supply would be sufficient for another four days.

Then on May 8, Chinese Petro-leum reversed its stance, tele-phoning Taipower again to say that gas supplies would be insufficient for that day, according to Taipower officials.
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