Electricity consumption in Taiwan hit a record high of 41.18 gigawatts (GW) yesterday as scorching hot weather continued across the country, state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) said.
The instantaneous peak load was recorded at 1:52pm, surpassing the previous record of 40.74GW set on July 22, 2022, and is close to Taipower’s estimated peak of 41.19GW for this year.
Taipower attributed the record high power demand to the muggy condition caused by the high humidity before rainfall, which boosted residential use of air-conditioning.
Photo: CNA
Temperatures yesterday in Yunlin County’s Dounan Township (斗南) hit 38.4 degrees Celsius, while temperatures higher than 37 degrees were recorded in other parts of central and southern Taiwan as well as Taipei’s Shezidao (社子島) area.
Meanwhile, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued an “orange” alert for Taipei, New Taipei City and Taichung, as well as some parts of central and southern Taiwan, meaning daytime highs in these areas could reach 36 degrees for three consecutive days.
Yesteday’s maximum power supply capability was 47.33GW, with an operating reserve of 16.86 percent, giving a green light that symbolizes “adequate power supply,” according to Taipower’s official Web site.
Taipower data showed the third-highest power consumption level was 40.66GW set on July 25, 2022, followed by 40.63GW and 40.57GW on June 21 and June 28 this year, respectively.
With more sources of solar power to be connected to the grid, Taipower said it expects operating reserves this month to remain at a healthy level of more than 10 percent during the day and 7 percent at night, within the “yellow” power supply range of 6-10 percent.
A yellow alert light means that the electricity supply is under constraint, the company said.
Taiwanese suppliers to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電) are expected to follow the contract chipmaker’s step to invest in the US, but their relocation may be seven to eight years away, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. When asked by opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) in the legislature about growing concerns that TSMC’s huge investments in the US will prompt its suppliers to follow suit, Kuo said based on the chipmaker’s current limited production volume, it is unlikely to lead its supply chain to go there for now. “Unless TSMC completes its planned six
Intel Corp has named Tasha Chuang (莊蓓瑜) to lead Intel Taiwan in a bid to reinforce relations between the company and its Taiwanese partners. The appointment of Chuang as general manager for Intel Taiwan takes effect on Thursday, the firm said in a statement yesterday. Chuang is to lead her team in Taiwan to pursue product development and sales growth in an effort to reinforce the company’s ties with its partners and clients, Intel said. Chuang was previously in charge of managing Intel’s ties with leading Taiwanese PC brand Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), which included helping Asustek strengthen its global businesses, the company
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said second-quarter revenue is expected to surpass the first quarter, which rose 30 percent year-on-year to NT$118.92 billion (US$3.71 billion). Revenue this quarter is likely to grow, as US clients have front-loaded orders ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs on Taiwanese goods, Delta chairman Ping Cheng (鄭平) said at an earnings conference in Taipei, referring to the 90-day pause in tariff implementation Trump announced on April 9. While situations in the third and fourth quarters remain unclear, “We will not halt our long-term deployments and do not plan to
NOT OVERLY PESSIMISTIC: While consumer electronics demand remains volatile, MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai said that tariffs would have limited effect on the company Chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said revenue this quarter would contract by 4 percent sequentially in the worst-case scenario on softer smartphone demand. Revenue is expected to be between NT$147.2 billion and NT$159.4 billion (US$4.6 billion-US$4.98 billion), compared with NT$153.31 billion last quarter, the company said. MediaTek said demand for smartphone chips would be flat or slide sequentially this quarter, while demand for smart devices and power chips would go up. Mobile phone chips made up 56 percent of the company’s total revenue last quarter. Gross margin of 46 to 49 percent is forecast for this quarter, compared with 48.1 percent last
RSS