Taiwan, the east
Asian industrial hub jittery over the Russia-Ukraine crisis, suffered a severe
power outage Thursday after 9 a.m. local time, reports AFP quoting local media
sources. A large part, from capital Taipei to Taichung city to the southern
Pingtung country, lost power. The severe outage was reported the same day Taiwan
President Tsai Ing-wen was set to meet United States’ former Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo, 58, served
as the secretary of state in Donald Trump’s presidency. He was scheduled to
meet the Taiwanese president a day after Trump told a US-based media outlet
that China was watching the goings-on in Ukraine and it was Taiwan’s turn next.
“Taiwan is going to be next. Just watch Taiwan; President Xi is watching with
glee,” the former US president told Fox Business.

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Ahead of meeting
Pompeo, the Taiwanese president had also met members of the US’ security
establishment. This meeting was frowned upon by Beijing, which sees US’
proximity to Taiwan as a threat to its influence in the region.

The outage was due
to what authorities have called “an incident” at a power plant in southern Kaohsiung
city. The exact nature of the incident remains unclear. “President Tsai has
instructed the cabinet and relevant agencies to clarify the cause of the
accident,” a statement from the presidential office read.

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While the
presidential office did not lose power, the scheduled live stream of Tai’s
meeting with Mike Pompeo was cancelled.

The powerplant in
Kaohsiung, where an “incident” is said to have caused the outage, is Taiwan’s
third-largest coal-powered powerplant. It provides nearly a seventh of the
total power in the island. Taipower, the state-run company that operates the
powerplant, said nearly 5.5 million homes were affected by the outage. Power
has returned to 4 million homes since.

Video footage on
local and social media show police officials guiding traffic as traffic lights
failed. Trains were suspended in the southern part of the island.

This, however, is
not the first time Taiwan has suffered a major outage. The island does lose
power, particularly during warm weather, as demand spikes. In 2017, Taiwan’s
economic minister was forced to resign due to outcry over massive power
failures across the island, AFP reported.

Also Read | On Russia-Ukraine conflict: Dalai Lama says war is outdated, calls for dialogue

Taiwan’s political
status is contentious as the Chinese government exercises an overarching
influence in the region. The Russian aggression in Ukraine has stoked fears across
the globe on whether China may attempt something similar in Taiwan. These fears,
albeit premature, rose when Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese
President Xi Jinping on the side lines the Beijing Olympics inaugural.
Following the meeting, Russia voiced its support for China’s stance that democratically-governed
Taiwan is part of China.