The Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) yesterday changed the power supply indicator from “red” to “orange” for today and tomorrow, after the Central Weather Bureau forecast a longer and stronger rainfall across the nation, lowering the nation’s electricity demand amid relatively cooler weather.
“The showers in the afternoon [yesterday] significantly helped to alleviate the tight power supply,” a Taipower official, who declined to be named, said on the telephone.
A “red” indicator denotes that the reserve capacity is less than 900,000 kilowatts (kW), whereas an “orange” indicator signifies that the operating reserve margin is 6 percent or less, Taipower said.
A “green” indicator, which denotes an operating reserve margin of 10 percent or above, suggests that the nation has a sufficient electricity supply.
Taipower on Monday said that the indicator could be changed to “red” today and tomorrow given the weather bureau’s forecast for scorching weather across the nation and due to suspended power at the independent power plant (IPP) operator Ho-Ping Power Co (和平電力) because of Typhoon Nesat, which brought down the firm’s transmission tower in Hualien County last weekend.
The suspended supply from Ho-Ping will greatly affect the nation’s total electricity supply because it reduces the operating reserve margin by 1.3 million kW or approximately 4 percent.
Taipower was grateful for the larger-than-expected rains yesterday afternoon and the anticipated showers and thunderstorms, now predicting that the operating reserve margin would be 5.88 percent today and 5.05 percent tomorrow.
However, the power supply indicator could be changed to “red” again on Tuesday next week when the operating reserve margin is estimated to fall to 2.4 percent, based on the weather bureau’s forecast and that day’s estimated high electricity demand, Taipower said.
Taipower said that it would continue its demand bidding and buy-back program, encouraging consumers to change their energy consumption patterns and lower their peak load in return for financial rewards, in an effort to prevent power-supply rationing.