Energy Vice Minister Checks Summer Power Supply Situation in First Official Move

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Park Ki-young, Vice Minister of Energy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the Korea South-East Power Bundang Power Headquarters on the 11th as his first field visit after taking office to inspect the management of power supply and demand during the summer season.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, due to the recent heatwave, power demand reached the second highest ever at 91.1GW on the 27th of last month. However, with the normal operation of power facilities such as power plants and transmission lines, the average reserve margin for July remained stable at over 10%. Initially, the ministry expected the peak power demand to occur this week (the second week of August), but due to a drop in temperature caused by the typhoon, power demand fell below previous forecasts, maintaining a stable power supply and demand situation.

Vice Minister Park said, "Although a stable power supply and demand situation is being maintained despite the ongoing heatwave, caution is necessary as power demand can rise sharply at any time if late summer heat occurs." He added, "Especially, sudden changes in weather conditions such as typhoons can cause unexpected failures in power facilities like generators and transmission lines, so related power agencies must conduct pre-inspections to prevent loss of power supply capacity."

Furthermore, Vice Minister Park requested Korea Electric Power Corporation to conduct inspections and support equipment replacement to prevent power outages, as increased use of air conditioners during the heatwave has caused power outages mainly in aging apartments, leading to inconvenience for residents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.