Kaohsiung: Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) announced on Wednesday the activation of all five standby units at its two power plants in Kaohsiung, in response to operating reserves dropping below 6 percent. The decline was attributed to hot weather and mechanical failures.

According to Focus Taiwan, Taipower has activated four old coal-powered generators at the Hsinta Power Plant and one gas-powered unit at the Talin Power Plant. This measure aims to maintain an adequate reserve level during nighttime peak hours. Earlier that day, power reserves fell to 9.06 percent, triggering a "yellow light" warning due to increased electricity usage over several hot days in northern Taiwan.

Additionally, Taipower reported a reduction in solar power output in southern Taiwan, caused by overcast skies and rainy weather in the afternoon. By Wednesday night, reserves had further decreased to 4 percent.

The power shortage has been compounded by a 2,900 megawatt deficit resulting from issues at the Hsinta Power Plant in Kaohsiung and the Linkou Power Plant in New Taipei. The newer gas-powered generators at Hsinta have been offline since September 11 following a fire caused by a gas leak. Furthermore, Linkou Power Plant's Unit 2 went offline on Monday due to a system malfunction, followed by Unit 1 on Tuesday due to a pipe leak.

Taipower's website indicates that a power reserve exceeding 10 percent is deemed "safe." A reserve between 6 and 10 percent initiates a "yellow light" warning, while reserves below 6 percent trigger an "orange light" warning, potentially leading to power rationing.