The Executive Yuan yesterday disputed a media report that Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) and Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) chairman Chu Wen-chen (朱文成) would have to step down in the event of a power outage, while the repair of a major power station in Taichung is hoped to ease the impending shortage.
According to a report yesterday by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times), Lee and Chu might have to resign over possible electricity rationing expected to be announced this week.
The collapse of a Ho-Ping Power Co transmission tower in Hualien County on July 29 caused by Typhoon Nesat and Tropical Storm Haitang has reduced electricity supply by 1.3 million kilowatts, or about 4 percent of the operating reserve.
That was followed on Saturday by the breakdown of a power generator at the Taichung Power Plant, which further reduced the operating reserve by 1.5 percent.
Starting from today, power consumption is expected to climb from the weekend’s low to a weekday high, thereby reducing the operating reserve to dangerously low levels, the report said, adding that the government might have to impose electricity rationing, which could spell the end of Lee’s and Chu’s careers.
However, the Executive Yuan disputed the report, saying there was no plan to replace the two officials and that the government has devoted all of its resources to ensure a stable electricity supply.
The Cabinet also called on the public to help conserve energy.
Meanwhile, a rupture in a power generator boiler at the Taichung plant that was believed to have caused the mechanical failure has been found, Taipower said, adding that the repair was completed yesterday.
The generator started delivering power last night and could reach full capacity during today’s peak hours, which might help avert a possible power outage, Taipower said.
The power supply this week is likely to remain stable, the company said.
The Taichung plant, with 10 generators and a total capacity of 58.23 gigawatts, is the nation’s largest power plant and the second-largest coal-fired power plant in the world.
The transmission tower in the Hualien plant is likely to be repaired by Sunday, but it might not resume full operations until Wednesday next week, the Bureau of Energy said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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