Calls for action as Taoyuan’s power outage crisis worsens

TAOYUAN (TVBS News) — The frequency of power outages in Taoyuan has significantly increased over the past two months, affecting more users, according to Su Jun-pin, the city's deputy mayor. Su said Monday (May 6) that the outages are a systemic issue and urged the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) not to use "individual cases" as an excuse.

According to city government statistics, Taoyuan experienced 171 power outages in the past six months, averaging 0.94 times daily. The outages affected 294,274 households, with an average of 1,721 households affected each time.

Taoyuan had 35 power outages in April alone, averaging 1.16 times per day, with an average of 2,297 households affected each time. So far in May, there have already been six power outages, affecting tens of thousands of households.

Su believes a stable power supply environment requires stable energy sources and a forward-looking power distribution layout. He pointed out that the central government has consistently failed to actively improve the situation in light of Taoyuan's increasing population, and the related infrastructure has not kept up with the electricity demand.

Last week, the Executive Yuan approved an additional budget of NT$100 billion for TaiPower. However, Taoyuan continues to face power outage issues.

Su called for proactive deployment of electricity demand from the energy structure and a stable power distribution environment. He said substantial investment and resources are needed to create a stable power supply environment.