SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) — The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced Wednesday that South Korea’s electricity demand this summer is projected to reach its peak during the coming week. The government is keeping an eye on the supply situation due to the shutdown of a power plant and the approach of a typhoon.
It is estimated that the maximum electricity consumption in the country will reach between 92.5 and 97.8 gigawatts (GW) around August 10th, which is higher than the 91.1 GW recorded in the previous year. This is attributed to the higher-than-normal temperatures this summer.
Although the supply is expected to remain stable during this period, the estimated supply has dropped to 103.8 GW from the previous forecast of 106.4 GW. This is because the No. 2 unit of the Hanbit nuclear power plant in the county of Yeonggwang was stopped last month for a system test and its operations have yet to be resumed.
South Korea is also preparing for the potential effects of Typhoon Khanun, which is heading towards the southwestern islands of Japan. The energy reserves are likely to decrease to between 6 and 11.3 GW, and the government is taking precautionary measures to maintain the energy supply.
An employee checks power demand and supply at the regional office of the Korea Electric Power Corp. in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, amid a heat wave alert. (Yonhap)
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