Power outages reported in many parts of Taiwan following what the presidential office said was an “accident” at a power plant.
The blackouts occurred after 9 am (2 am in Italy) throughout the islandfrom the capital Taipei to the central city of Taichung and the southern county of Pingtung.
The power outages occurred when President Tsai Ing-wen was scheduled to meet with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The blackout comes the day after a delegation of former US security officials visited the island, a stigmatized trip from Beijing. According to the presidential office, an initial investigation showed that the blackouts were caused by “an accident” at a power plant in the southern city of Kaohsiung, with no further details.
Electricity supply to the president’s office would remain normal, although a scheduled live stream of Tsai’s meeting with Pompeo was canceled. “President Tsai has instructed the cabinet and the relevant agencies to clarify the cause of the accident … and to resume the power supply as soon as possible,” the statement read.
The TV broadcast videos with police officers directing traffic to make up for the non-functioning traffic lights.
Taiwan High Speed Rail said an unknown number of trains were affected by the power outage. Taiwan Railways Administration said some of its trains operating in southern Tainan, Pingtung and central Nantou have been delayed or suspended.
The country occasionally experiences large power outages, particularly during warmer seasons when demand increases.
In 2017, Taiwan’s economy minister resigned after a protest over massive power outages across the island, which affected 6.68 million families.