Taiwan hit by rolling power outages
GRID PROBLEM: A Taipower spokesman said that the blackouts were not due to usage exceeding supply, nor were they because of a problem at the Singda plant
By Angelica Oung / Staff reporter
There were rolling blackouts across Taiwan yesterday due to a grid malfunction at the Singda Power Plant (興達電廠) in Kaohsiung’s Yongan District (永安), while Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) said that it was working “as hard as possible to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”
At 2:37pm, a malfunction at an ultra-high-voltage substation in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) triggered four generators at the Singda plant to go offline, cutting power output by 2.2 million kilowatts and prompting Taipower to initiate rolling blackouts nationwide as it worked on the problem.
Tsai apologizes for power issues
By Yang Chun-hui, Jake Chung and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writers
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday apologized for rolling blackouts that affected Taiwan after an incident at a substation affected four generators at the Singda Power Plant (興達電廠) in Kaohsiung’s Yongan District (永安).
The government had the incident well in hand and was expediting repairs, Tsai wrote on Facebook yesterday afternoon soon after the incident was reported.
Operating reserves for yesterday stood at 10.01 percent and the Singda plant was fully functional, Tsai said later in a speech at the Presidential Office in Taipei after meeting with high-level officials to discuss the blackouts and issues related to the COVID-19 situation.
Climate groups call for cleaner Kaohsiung air
DIFFERENT PRIORITIES: Residents of Kaohsiung prefer breathable air over holiday fireworks displays, a spokesman of South Taiwan Air Clear said
Staff writer, with CNA
Environmental protection groups in Kaohsiung yesterday protested against air pollution and global warming, urging the local and central governments to pay attention to the effects of air pollution on people’s health in southern Taiwan.
The groups demanded that the coal-fired Singda Power Plant (興達) in Kaohsiung be closed; China Steel Corp, the nation’s biggest steelmaker, close one blast furnace; the threshold for air pollution emergency response measures be lowered; and air purifiers be installed in all classrooms.