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| ▲ A person walks through a fountain tunnel in Seoul on May 17, 2023, as South Korea experienced an early heatwave in many parts of the country. (Yonhap) |
power supply-summer season
S. Korea ready to supply record-high electricity during summer
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is expected to see record-high demand for electricity this summer, and it is ready to meet the demand on the back of increased production capacity, the industry ministry said Thursday.
The country's maximum electricity demand is estimated to range from 92.7 to 97.8 gigawatts (GW) during this summer, and the peak season is expected to come in the second week of August, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The maximum demand has been on a constant rise from 90.3 GW in 2019 to 91.1 GW in 2021 and further to 93.0 GW in 2022.
To better brace for a possible hike in electricity demand, the government decided to operate a special response period starting the final week of June through mid-September in consideration of weather forecasts, the ministry said.
Despite the expected high demand, the ministry said the government will be able to supply electricity in a stable manner as the operation of nuclear reactors has risen recently.
The country's power supply capacity is expected to come to 106.4 GW, the highest level ever, up 6.7 percent from a year earlier, as the Shin Hanul 1 nuclear reactor in the southeastern county of Uljin went into full operation in December and several other reactors were put back on normal operations following maintenance work, according to the ministry.
Accordingly, South Korea's energy reserve rate is expected to come to around 8 to 13 percent over the peak period.
"The government will be on alert to ensure a stable energy supply. I also ask the people to take part in various energy-saving campaigns," Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang said.
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