The consecutive days of high heat indicate the arrival of summer, and the electricity usage will continue to elevate, as shown from the second highest consumption figure on June 18th recorded this year. As pointed out by TPC, the No. 2 and No. 3 generators of the Taichung Power Plant will be adequately providing electricity in accordance with the demand in power consumption.
Electricity consumption has been surging under the increasing temperature recently, of which a new record had been registered for 3 consecutive days between June 15th and 17th, where a historically high consumption figure of 36.16 MW was even recorded on the 17th among past data in June. Although a new record wasn’t set on the 18th, a consumption figure of almost 36 MW was recorded that day. As the peak load continues to soar, the peak electricity consumption this summer is expected to arrive at 37.91 MW as we enter the hottest months after July.
TPC anticipates that the electricity consumption during peak hours in this summer may surge to 37.91 MW, and stated that the company will implement a well machine maintenance and dispatch. The operating reserve is expected to be 3.965 MW today, with a reserve rate of approximately 11.7%. A sunny day will be optimal for solar power generation, which generates substantially during peak hours; the photovoltaic generation during peak hours on the 17th exceeded 2.5 MW, and arrived at 23.56 MW on the 19th, where the ratio of solar power generation had already reached to 6.692% at 11:50.
TPC also believes that No. 2 and 3 generators of the Taichung Power Plant are essential machine for the peak electricity consumption this summer. The two generators were fined from excessive usage of bituminous coal by the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Taichung City Government at the end of 2019, and resulted in the removal of the license in coal burning for No. 2 and 3 generators of the Taichung Power Plant, thought the bureau had revoked the penalty in February in accordance with “Wrongful Citation of Regulations”.
The two generators are currently at the status of application for extension of operating permit, and they will be operated according to the initial conditions before the Taichung City Government’s decision on whether approving or rejecting the license. As commented by TPC, the two generators are yet to be incorporated into the electricity provision due to the consideration on the demand for electricity usage and the air condition, and the increasing temperature in the future, which elevates the frequency of air conditioner usage, will require the assistance of No. 2 and 3 generators.
TPC explained that the Taichung Power Plant had invested more than TWD$9 billion into the environmental improvement construction, and had completed the engineering for No. 1-4 generators in January 2020, where the discharge of air pollutants has been significantly reduced, and that the concentration in the discharged air pollutants from the approved generators are now in line with the existing Reinforced Standards for Air Pollutant Discharge from Power Facilities.
Though according to the telephone poll conducted by the Local Autonomy Research Center of Tunghai University, almost 80% of interviewees agreed to the abolishment on the usage approval for the two old generators from the Taichung City Government, and nearly 70% of them opposed the idea of Taichung Power Plant initiating the No. 2 and 3 generators.
