TSMC helped Taiwan avoid power outage: 200MW of power provided with diesel power generators

Taipower made an important call to TSMC on Monday to help generate electricity to avoid blackouts, while Taoyuen had a two-hour power outage on Tuesday.

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After the earthquake in Taiwan a couple of weeks ago and with recent temperature rises as the country heads into summer, annual maintenance and the failure of air conditioners across Taiwan saw Taipower's power supply pressure immediately increase. On Monday night, Taipower called TSMC to help them generate enough electricity, which saw them close to power outages.

Taipower spokesperson Cai Zhimeng said on Tuesday that the power supply was very tight on Monday night, and that TSMC helped out greatly by turning on its own diesel generators and providing 200,000 kilowatts of electricity. Taipower quickly pointed out that TSMC was helping increase its power supply and not cause a reduction in electricity consumption or have any negative effects on TSMC's operations.

In some areas of Taoyuan, there were power outages for around 2 hours in the afternoon on Tuesday after random blackouts on Monday. Peak electricity numbers reached the highest levels last week, with the 15th and 16th of April 2024 appearing in the top list of electricity consumption in the last few years for April (just as it begins to warm in Taiwan).

Taipower spokesperson Cai Zhimeng said that the electricity issues were due to the failure of 8 units after the earthquake in Taiwan. On top of rising temperatures over the last few years, the Tai Tam and Mingtan units also failed, which had a domino effect on power supply pressure moving into Monday night.