Typhoon Gaemi Strikes: Taipower's 6,000 Staff Continuously Repairing and On Standby; Wind Power Output and Distributed Microgrid Effectiveness Highlighted

As Typhoon Gaemi made landfall, Taiwan experienced significant increases in wind speeds, reaching gusts of up to Force 8 to 10 along the western coastal areas. Taipower reported that at 12:36 PM on the 25th, instantaneous wind power output peaked at 2 million kW, although not breaking records, it constituted 7% to 8% of the total electricity generation, equivalent to the output of the Third Nuclear Power Plant.

Over the past two days, wind power output has remained between 1.7 to 2 million kW, accounting for 7.4% of the total, performing better than the summer average. With reduced commercial electricity usage during the typhoon holiday, peak reserve capacity reached 18.46%, ensuring ample supply. Taipower analyzed that wind power performs well during typhoons in summer and autumn, but excessive wind speeds may trigger automatic shutdowns for safety.

During Typhoon Gaemi, Taipower mobilized over 6,000 personnel for continuous repairs. As of 3 PM on the 25th, power outages affected 708,515 households across Taiwan, with restoration exceeding 87%, leaving 88,593 households awaiting reconnection.

Major blackout areas include 24,305 households in Kaohsiung City, 13,720 in Tainan City, and 13 in Chiayi County. Road disruptions have affected repair efforts, prompting Taipower to deploy microgrids to cope with the aftermath, successfully providing emergency electricity in Alishan, Chiayi.

Taipower stated that as of yesterday afternoon, cumulative blackout households totaled 708,515, with 619,922 households restored (over 87%) and 88,593 awaiting repairs, including 24,305 in Kaohsiung City, 13,720 in Tainan City, 10,003 in Chiayi County, 9,470 in Pingtung County, 5,739 in Yunlin County, and 5,111 in New Taipei City. Taipower continues nationwide mobilization for repairs under safe conditions.

To expedite restoration, Taipower activated cross-region support mechanisms due to the typhoon's southern trajectory, mobilizing nearly 100 personnel from 5 regional offices—Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, and Changhua—to aid severely affected areas like Yunlin, Chiayi, and Fengshan.

Taipower explained that repair progress in some mountainous areas is hampered by road closures. Apart from standby readiness, Taipower immediately deploys repair teams upon road clearance. In recent years, areas prone to road disruptions hindering immediate repairs have prompted Taipower to continually set up microgrids integrating solar photovoltaics, generators, energy storage systems, and energy management, enabling autonomous operation during emergencies such as wind disasters. For instance, following the 2009 Typhoon Morakot, which left Alishan Lijia Tribal Village without power for a month due to inaccessible roads, Taipower completed the installation of a disaster-resistant microgrid at Lijia Branch of Dabang Elementary School last year, proving effective during this recent storm by serving as a local refuge and meeting urgent residential electricity needs, ensuring residents' safety until normalcy is restored.

Reference: MOEA｜CNA