The full reactivation of a Hualien County power plant that was shut down due to damage from Typhoon Nesat could be completed today, easing power supply concerns, the Cabinet said yesterday.
A transmission tower in the county’s Dongao (東澳) operated by Ho-Ping Power Co (和平電廠) and owned by Taiwan Cement Corp (台灣水泥) was brought down on July 29 as extreme weather swept the nation, reducing the power supply by 4 percent and putting the nation in the grip of a power shortage crisis.
The tower was reconstructed on Friday and the installation of two sets of overhead power lines was finished on Saturday in the quickest repair of a power line in Taiwanese history, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said, adding that the power plant resumed operations yesterday and would reach full capacity today.
Photo: EPA
“The trial operation of the Ho-Ping Power Plant’s transmission tower and generators is ahead of schedule. It could reach full capacity by Monday [today] if the activation process of the second generator is successful, which could increase the power supply by 1.3 million kilowatts [kW] to ease the power supply shortage,” Premier Lin Chuan (林全) wrote on Facebook yesterday.
“The capacity of Ho-Ping Power Plant could not be added to the power grid since Typhoon Nesat struck and I want to convey my deep appreciation to everyone, from colleagues who were making repairs on the transmission tower under the scorching sun or directing electricity supply, to people who followed the [government’s] energy conservation policy, for their hard work,” Lin wrote.
After the shutdown of the power plant, the government announced emergency energy-saving measures, with government agencies told to turn off air conditioning between 1pm and 3pm daily until Thursday last week.
The power reserve indicator is forecast to turn “green” from “orange” on Saturday and Sunday as the operating reserve is forecast to rise to more than 10 percent of supply, state-run Taiwan Power Co said.
The national power supply indicator signaled a “red alert” for three days last week, after the operating reserve fell to less than 900,000kW.
Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said an extra 200,000kW might come online today, as a new generator at Talin Power Plant in Kaohsiung could raise its generation.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS