Power authorities have reiterated that they are preparing while not ruling out the possibility that this summer's electricity demand could exceed all-time high levels.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment held a summer power supply and demand inspection meeting on the morning of the 7th at the Korea Power Exchange in Naju-si, Jeollanam-do.

The Ministry and related organizations forecasted power supply and demand for August, checked the operating status of power generators and transmission and substation facilities, emergency response systems by organization, and the status of securing additional reserve resources.

According to the Korea Power Exchange, the peak power demand the previous day reached 95.044 gigawatts (GW), an increase of about 2% from the day before.

With the heatwave expected to continue, electricity demand could surpass the all-time high of 97.1 GW recorded on August 20, 2024, as the summer vacations of most businesses end next week and operation rates recover.

In Jeju, power demand hit 1.1863 GW at 7 p.m. on the 4th, breaking its all-time peak power demand record.

So far, the supply reserve margin has not dropped below 10%.

A reserve margin of 10% or higher is generally considered stable, and the margin stood at 10.4% the previous day.

Authorities explained, "Unless unexpected surges in demand or cascading failures of power generation facilities occur, reserve capacity can be managed stably," adding, "We are operating an emergency system to minimize power facility breakdowns and promptly restore them if failures occur."

(Photo: Yonhap News)