Concerns Over 'Excess Power Supply' This Fall... Ministry of Industry Says "Solar Power Output Control If Necessary"

Ministry of Industry Holds 3rd Meeting of 'Power Grid Innovation TF'
Establishing Measures for Power System Stabilization in Autumn

This fall, due to the Chuseok holiday and the expansion of solar power, electricity demand is expected to reach an all-time low. To prepare for grid instability such as transmission constraints, the government has decided to include not only centrally dispatched power plants like nuclear, coal, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) but also non-centrally dispatched power sources such as renewable energy in the output control targets.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that on the 14th, it held the third meeting of the "Power Grid Innovation Task Force (TF)" chaired by Cheon Young-gil, Director of the Energy Policy Office, to explore measures to stably supply electricity during this fall’s low-demand season.

Until now, short-term power supply and demand measures have been established to address power shortages in summer and winter. However, with the rapid expansion of solar power generation, the new issue of low demand and high generation during the spring and fall low-demand seasons with high solar utilization has emerged. As a result, special measures were prepared for the first time this spring targeting areas densely equipped with solar power facilities.

An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained, "This fall, due to the Chuseok holiday and the expansion of solar power, demand is expected to reach an all-time low, raising concerns about nationwide power oversupply. Transmission constraints are expected due to a lack of transmission lines to transport power from the Honam and Gyeongnam regions, where nuclear and renewable energy are concentrated, to the metropolitan area. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare countermeasures for grid instability in the fall."

The ministry has established nationwide grid stabilization measures for the fall low-demand season for the first time. Prior to the full-scale countermeasure period (September 23 to November 5), the ministry adjusted the planned preventive maintenance schedules for nuclear plants (Hanbit Unit 2 and Hanul Unit 6) to conduct maintenance during the Chuseok special low-demand period. It also implemented proactive stabilization measures by mobilizing all available resources, including installing new Special Protection Schemes (SPS) and securing additional fast demand response programs (Fast-DR).

Despite these measures, if output control of power plants is necessary, the ministry plans to prioritize grid stabilization effects and implement output control considering economic efficiency, safety, and fairness. This countermeasure expands the output control targets to include all non-centrally dispatched power plants such as fuel cells, bioenergy, district energy, and renewable energy, as well as centrally dispatched power plants, based on the principle of responsibility for the grid from all power sources.

Director Cheon said, "Currently, the power system is designed to respond to 'power shortages,' but going forward, we will establish a system capable of responding to 'power oversupply' during the low-demand seasons."

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