Heat wave putting pressure on power supply
- 6 years ago
These days, most of us probably can't live without air conditioning with temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius.
But this is putting an immense strain on power grids across the country,.... with electricity reserves expected to dip to a five year low.
Oh Soo-young reports.
In an apartment block in Seoul, some residents choose to spend their Tuesday evening outside the comfort of their homes,... but inside their cars in the parking lot.
"I couldn't stay at home. It's like being inside a steamer. So I'm just staying in the car with the AC on."
The heat wave has pushed up demand for electricity to a summertime high,... as most households and businesses crank up the air conditioning.
According to Korea Power Exchange, demand for power is forecast to peak at 93 million kilowatts from four to five p.m. on Wednesday.
That's up by nearly a million kilowatts from the day before.
The reserve power supply ratio is expected to fall to six-point-eight percent during that time,... below the government's 11-percent estimate for this week,... and marking the lowest reserve rate in five years.
The surge in electricity use has already caused outages in a number of large apartment blocks.
"We have to put up with it. But I'm worried about the food in the fridge."
About forty restaurants and businesses located in Gyeonggi-do Province were also compromised.
"We couldn't serve about ten tables and dropped two deliveries. We're really concerned the frozen food and the fresh chicken will go bad."
Addressing concerns over power shortages,... as most of the nation remains under a heat wave warning,...Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu told a local radio station on Wednesday that the current reserve rate is sufficient despite the initially miscalculated estimates.
He said with the summer holiday period beginning later this week, power demand is likely to fall as industrial activities slow down.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
But this is putting an immense strain on power grids across the country,.... with electricity reserves expected to dip to a five year low.
Oh Soo-young reports.
In an apartment block in Seoul, some residents choose to spend their Tuesday evening outside the comfort of their homes,... but inside their cars in the parking lot.
"I couldn't stay at home. It's like being inside a steamer. So I'm just staying in the car with the AC on."
The heat wave has pushed up demand for electricity to a summertime high,... as most households and businesses crank up the air conditioning.
According to Korea Power Exchange, demand for power is forecast to peak at 93 million kilowatts from four to five p.m. on Wednesday.
That's up by nearly a million kilowatts from the day before.
The reserve power supply ratio is expected to fall to six-point-eight percent during that time,... below the government's 11-percent estimate for this week,... and marking the lowest reserve rate in five years.
The surge in electricity use has already caused outages in a number of large apartment blocks.
"We have to put up with it. But I'm worried about the food in the fridge."
About forty restaurants and businesses located in Gyeonggi-do Province were also compromised.
"We couldn't serve about ten tables and dropped two deliveries. We're really concerned the frozen food and the fresh chicken will go bad."
Addressing concerns over power shortages,... as most of the nation remains under a heat wave warning,...Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu told a local radio station on Wednesday that the current reserve rate is sufficient despite the initially miscalculated estimates.
He said with the summer holiday period beginning later this week, power demand is likely to fall as industrial activities slow down.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.