Electricity shortages could worsen in Taiwan this summer: Taipower

Taipei--Electricity shortages in Taiwan could worsen this summer due to a reactor shutdown at the No. 2 nuclear power plant, state-run Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) Chairman Chu Wen-chen (???) said on Friday.

According to Chu, a storage pool for spent fuel rods will run out of space in early June, forcing the plant's first reactor to go offline and causing a significant drop in electricity supply.

While a plan to expand the storage pool is still being reviewed by the Atomic Energy Council, the pool will not be reopened until after the expansion work is completed, he said.

Chu said Taipower plans to take measures to prevent any rationing of electricity, including the completion of an emergency generation system in Taoyuan by July 1.

The company will also ensure annual maintenance of all electricity generators is completed by May 20, before the hot weather arrives, he said.

On hydroelectric power, Chu said it is hard to predict how much electricity can be generated from hydroelectric sources this summer, because it is dependent on how much rainfall Taiwan receives during the plum rain season and from typhoons.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel