If you thought you’ve had a bad day at work, take a moment to think of the poor guy who accidentally shut down an entire nuclear plant during peak demand Tuesday. The reason wasn’t even the sort of complicated technical matter you’d expect, either. No: this was a silly case of human error.
Taiwan has seen a few whoopsies at power plants in the past, but none have yet been more bizarre than this one. A chair moved out of the way to allow the cleaners to get through accidentally bumped into a button that shut Taiwan’s entire second nuclear plant down.
And of all the days for this to happen, too: this was Tuesday, the day that Taiwan lifted many COVID-related restrictions. People were out and demand for power was surging. In an instant, Taiwan’s operating reserve fell by 2%.
Fortunately, solar and hydroelectric power was able to make up the difference, preventing a repeat of blackouts that hit Taiwan earlier in the summer. The average person didn’t even notice anything had happened.
But now for the awkward part: the Atomic Energy Council is not amused, and it wants the Taiwan Power Company to write up a report and draw up a list of people to be punished for the mishap.