The nation’s energy use rose for a seventh consecutive month in March on increased demand from factories as industrial output increased.
Consumption of coal, petroleum, gas, thermal energy and electricity climbed 16 percent from a year earlier to the equivalent of 10.2 million kiloliters of oil or about 2.1 million barrels a day, according to an e-mailed report from the Bureau of Energy yesterday.
Industrial output surged a record 39 percent year-on-year in March, led by a 69 percent gain in the information technology and electronics industries, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on April 23.
GDP grew 9.22 percent in the three months through December, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said on Feb. 22, when it raised its GDP forecast for this year to 4.72 percent, from the 4.39 percent projected in November.
Energy consumption by industrial users increased 25 percent in March from a year earlier, according to the energy bureau.
Power consumption soared 17 percent to 19.3 billion kilowatt-hours in March. Demand from industrial companies rose 22 percent year-on-year. Taiwan’s use of natural gas increased 3.7 percent to 133 million cubic meters, while coal consumption climbed 1.7 percent to 4.93 million tonnes.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) said on April 9 that sales in March more than doubled.
Use of petroleum products rose 17 percent from a year earlier to the equivalent of 4.61 million kiloliters of oil in March, according to the energy bureau.
Utilization rates at crude oil distillation units operated by CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化), Taiwan’s two oil refiners, fell to 63 percent from 77 percent in February, the energy bureau said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan purchased less fuel last month after CPC and Formosa shut some plants in March for regular maintenance work.
As a result, shipments fell 19 percent from a year earlier to 28.2 million barrels and the nation’s bill for last month rose 35 percent to US$2.22 billion, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement yesterday
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