Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Power shortage warning expected this week
By Kim Rahn
The government may issue a power shortage warning this week as the temperature is expected to rise while several nuclear reactors remain offline.
The Korea Power Exchange (KPE) said Sunday power reserves are likely to fall to less than 3.5 million kilowatts (kW) this week and around 2.5 million kW next week. A power shortage warning is issued when the reserves dip below 4 million kW.
This a result of two more nuclear reactors ㅡ Shin Kori Reactor 2 and Shin Wolsong Reactor 1 ㅡ were taken offline last Tuesday after it was found substandard cables with fake quality warranties had been used in their construction.
Another reactor, Wolsong 3 that generates 700,000 kW, will stop operation on June 8 for planned regular maintenance. Although Hanul Reactor 5, currently under maintenance, is scheduled to be online on June 7, the operation resumption could be delayed if the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission conducts additional examinations.
Even if Hanul Reactor 5 resumes service as scheduled, it will take two days for it to reach full generating capacity, so the power supply may be not enough for two to three days between the shutdown of Wolsong 3 and the restart of Hanul 5.
Following the suspensions, the nation’s power supply will be 77 million kW, a drop from 80 million kW which the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy originally planned to provide.
“We expect we may need 79 million kW when electricity demand peaks, indicating the nation may be short of 2 million kW,” a ministry official said.
To make matters worse, the Korea Meteorological Administration expects midday highs in the central parts of the country to rise to 30 degrees Celsius later this week, and hotter-than-usual temperatures next week.
In a package of power saving measures, the ministry said public organizations will cut down their electricity consumption by 15 percent from the same month last year, and by over 20 percent during peak hours between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Those organizations will have to turn off half their lights and keep indoor temperatures at 28 degrees Celsius or over.
Between July and August, shops using air conditioners with their doors open will get a warning for a first violation, and be fined for a second one.