Premier Lin Chuan and several cabinet officials today apologized to the public on behalf of the Executive Yuan, administrative government agencies, the Taiwan Power Co., (Taipower) and the state-owned fuel supplier CPC Corp. for the disruptions and losses brought on by a widespread power failure that hit the country Tuesday.
The Executive Yuan has tasked Minister without Portfolio Wu Hong-mo to lead an administrative task force to investigate the causes of the blackout, including human error in the malfunction of six generators at the Datan Power Plant in Taoyuan. The Cabinet-level task force, including experts outside of Taipower and CPC, will report their findings to the public as quickly as possible. The premier also pledged that the government will resolve these problems and deal with the situation head on.
The administrative task force will investigate the control and supervisory responsibilities of CPC's and Taipower's managerial departments, whether the errors occurred at a systematic or execution level, and the responsibilities of operators involved in the incident. As for questions of whether the incident had an adverse impact on society or put public safety at risk, the Executive Yuan will respect future investigations by judicial departments into the matter.
The government is reviewing and reflecting on the problems at hand, the premier said. Tuesday's blackout, viewed together with the nationwide energy crisis caused by a power transmission tower collapse at the Ho-Ping Power Plant in Hualien after a recent typhoon, underscores the need for a thorough examination of Taiwan's energy resources. At issue is the question of whether there are problems with the nation's power supplies and energy transmission structure, where a single incident can affect the stability of the entire network. The government should also examine the electricity supply structure, improve the overall stability of the transmission grid, and consider how to strengthen and ensure the safety of power transmission lines in Taiwan's large "concentrative" power plants.
The Executive Yuan has also appointed Minister without Portfolio Wu Tsung-Tsong to set up a task force to examine potential hazards and risks in the power supply structure. If necessary, overseas experts may be invited to sit on the task force.