Power outages twice crippled a building housing lawmakers’ offices this week, triggering speculation that Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) was responsible for the blackouts, but the state-owned utility said that mice were to blame.
At about 3:30pm on Tuesday, an explosion was heard in the electricity substation near the legislative building and smoke was seen coming from its engine room, leading to a power failure that lasted for about two hours.
Because of the blackout, a number of legislative assistants closed their offices early, while some continued to work by the weak light generated by backup systems, with no electricity to power computers, fax and copying machines or air-conditioners.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator He Hsin-chun (何欣純) said she had to use a small flashlight to go to the restroom.
The electricity failure occurred as lawmakers were discussing issues related to the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant after opposition lawmakers prevented Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) from delivering his policy address on the first day of the legislative session.
Taipower engineers later determined that a mouse had entered the electricity substation and caused a short circuit which caused the power failure.
After a second blackout the next day, some jokingly speculated over the cause of the power cuts.
“It seems that Taipower are telling us that we cannot carry on working without them,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) said.
A legislative assistant said the incidents showed that the Taipower’s infrastructure was so vulnerable that a mouse could disrupt the legislature.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said she hoped that it was not a “plot by Taipower to threaten lawmakers.”
“Even if it was, it didn’t work. The blackout didn’t affect me much except that I had to walk up the stairs to my office on the 11th floor,” she said.
In response to the incidents, a Taipower executive said: “the mice were not fed by Taipower,” adding that the company did not intentionally suspend the electricity supply, and urged people to stop making groundless speculations and slandering the firm.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS