Business Standard

Taiwan official resigns after blackout hits much of island

Image

AP Taipei
Taiwan's economy minister has resigned after a generator failure at a power plant caused a massive blackout that affected millions of households across the island during sweltering heat.

The power outage plunged traffic, shopping malls and offices into darkness early last evening.

Taiwan's Central News Agency says "an operational technical error" caused six generators to stop working at Taiwan's biggest natural gas power plant.

Taiwan's economy minister Lee Chih-kung apologised at a news conference and said the person who made the error would be punished.

CNA says 6.68 million households were affected in the capital, Taipei, cities Taichung and Tainan and three counties in the center, west and southwest of the island of 23 million people. The defense ministry said back-up power supply ensured no disruption to military operations.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Aug 16 2017 | 10:22 AM IST

Explore News