The power outage affected 5 million homes across Taiwan, as well as Tainan Science Park, where iPhone chip maker TSMC is headquartered.
According to AppleInsider, the Taiwanese power company said that an unspecified incident occurred at the Hsinta power plant in Kaohsiung. This directly caused power outages across southern Taiwan, and the subsequent strong effects caused power outages in northern and central regions.
TSMC, based in Tainan Science Park in the south, was also affected. Officials at the science park reported that a sudden and unusual voltage change occurred. Loss of power can cause damage to chips that are being manufactured.
Hours after the power outage, local authorities said 75% of households had power back on. Economy Minister Wang Mei-Hua said: “Southern Taiwan will take longer to restore power. Restarting power plants also takes time.”