Over a thirty year period Taipower steadily developed new power plants until by 1986, it had accumulated a margin reserve of 50 % (well above the normal level of 20 %). Taipower was constantly running deficits, and at that point was criticized by the MOEA for wasteful investment. The margin reserve then began to decline as demand increased, until it reached only 4.7 % during peak-demand hours last summer.
在只有透支、缺乏進帳下，過去三十年因電廠開發穩定而累積的電力﹘ ﹘民國七十五年台電還因為備載容量率高過正常百分之二十的水準，高達百分之五十，遭到經濟部指責為投資浪費﹘﹘終於降低到去年夏季尖峰時間的百分之四．七。