KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai expressed dissatisfaction with Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) during an interpellation at the City Council on Wednesday (Nov. 22), following a power outage that affected 4,938 households in the city's Zuoying District the previous night at 9:34 p.m.
The incident marked the third power failure in Kaohsiung within three days.
In response to the outage, Chen stated that an ombudsman had already been tasked with assessing the damage and investigating local businesses' losses. The ombudsman is prepared to assist with claims for compensation if necessary.
When social media users inquired whether the mayor's home had also experienced a power failure, Chen did not respond directly. Instead, he emphasized that such public service issues, which jeopardize the safety of citizens, are unacceptable and warrant scrutiny.
Chen reportedly demanded that Taipower conduct a systematic examination, upgrade the electrical grid, enhance safety measures, and implement thorough management.
The cause of the recent power outages was attributed to the deterioration of underground cable insulation. Despite the faults occurring at different locations, emergency replacements were completed on the same day of each incident.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shyh-fang is calling on Taipower to devise a compensation scheme for those affected by the power outages. The utility company's performance and accountability remain in the public eye as residents and officials alike await a reliable solution to the recurrent problem.
