PM2.5 LEVELS REACH PURPLE ALERT IN TAICHUNG|台中空汙更糟了 一半測站達最嚴重等級

Taichung has been suffering from poor air quality with PM2.5 levels reaching very unhealthy levels with a purple rating. Taichung Power Plant which supplies some 20 percent of Taiwan's power, also contributes to much of the pollution, was supposed to lower its output but was not able to because the operating reserve fell to the lowest point in October yesterday. Taichung's sky has been foggy for several days, no blue with clouds. At 8AM of October 19, half of the 16 air quality monitoring stations had the highest index 10 of air pollution banding. But Taichung Power Plant did not lower the electricity output. ==BAI ZHI-RONG, Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau== In 7:30AM this morning, we notified the Taiwan Power Company to initiate the operation of friendly de-rating. However the Company replied that the national operating reserve is only 1.62%, therefore there was no room for derating. The Taiwan Power Company had emphasized that the electricity usage was at its peak, plus many power generation sets were at their annual repairs. Therefore, the power reserve had made its record low for the Octobers of former years and the fourth-lowest level in the Company's history. The power supply is to face a rationing. ==WANG CHUNG-PIN, Taichung Power Plant PR Manager== We will assess on national power usage for derating when the index reaches its highest level. However like yesterday we were not able to cooperate, because the power reserve was way too low. At the request of Taichung City Government, thermal power plant is to have one out of ten generation sets stopped for repair each day from October to March. That means a 10% less substances to pollute the air. However, an environmental protection group rejects such statement. ==HSU HSIN-HSIN, Homemakers United Foundation Vice President== If large plants were to lower their usage and pollution, I think the pollution problems in central Taiwan can be decreased quite a lot. It would be even better if the Taichung Power Plant made derating. We hope at this time, the Plant not only suspended one generation set for maintenance, but to suspend extra set or two. The environmental protection group had stated, it's the large manufacturing factories should have the power rationing, not the civil households; and annual repairs for power generation sets is not derating. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 台中市的天空一片灰濛濛，藍天白雲全都看不到，這樣的狀況已經維持好幾天，上午8點，台中16個空品監測站有一半都達到最高的第10級，但台中火力發電廠卻沒有配合降載。 ==台中市環保局長 白智榮== 我們在今天早上七點半 就有通報請台電方面要啟動 友善降載的作業 但是台電回報 因為全國的備載容量 只有1.62% 所以沒有降載的空間 台電強調全台用電出現尖峰，加上多部機組歲修，已經創下歷史10月份備轉新低。 目前供電亮起「限電警戒」的紅燈。 ==台中火力發電廠公關經理 王重鑌== 會看全國的用電情況 做一個那個 即使說已經紫爆到了 但是像昨天就沒有辦法配合 昨天就因為(備轉)太低了 在台中市府的要求下，火力發電廠從10月到隔年3月，十部機組每天維持1部機組停機，也就是每天都會減少10%的汙染排放，等於已經配合降載，不過環保團體無法認同這樣的說法。 ==主婦聯盟環境保護基金會副會長 許心欣== 如果大的工廠它能減少用電 然後也減少排汙的時候 我想我們中部的汙染問題 可以減緩很多 再來中火也能夠順勢來進行降載 我們希望在這種時候 中火不只是一部機組的歲修 而能夠再多停一部到兩部機組 環團認為，電力拉警報，該限縮的應該是大型製造業的大量用電，而非民生用電，這樣火力發電廠就能配合降載，而且歲修也不能算是降載，不應該是全台用電，而將汙染留給台中。 記者 邱植培 彭煥群 台中報導