K-water to ensure stable power supply

By Yi Whan-woo

The Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) has stepped up its efforts to ensure an on time and sufficient energy supply across the country this summer, amid rising concerns over possible power shortage.

This month, the state-run water management service company has increased the amount of hydroelectric power it generates to 226 gigawatt-hours (GWh), up 99 GWh from a year earlier. The firm said it will also be ready to meet increased demand in July.

The efforts come in the face of possible shortages caused by this year’s shutdown of four nuclear reactors and temporary suspension of five additional reactors due to maintenance work.

The government said the power loss from the reactors will have to be shouldered by state-run energy providers, such as K-water.

The hydroelectric power operator said it is “ready to support the government in terms of a stable supply of electricity.”

“We’ve been running our generators to ensure a sufficient supply of energy following the increases in demand for power consumption,” K-water said in a press release.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy predicted early this month that the country’s peak demand for electricity will reach 78.7 million kilowatts in the summer, up 1.45 million kilowatts from a year earlier. If the peak demand exceeds the total capacity, a nationwide blackout may occur.

The hydroelectric power company said that this month, it increased the total amount of water released from the dams across the country by 156 percent from a year ago, despite unpredictable demand for water due to climate change.

The company operates 16 dams, including the country’s largest, the Soyanggang Multi-Purpose Dam in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

It can activate the dams within five minutes following a warning of a possible power outage, which occurs when the level of stored electricity falls below 3 billion watts. It added the dams can run for the following seven hours at peak power output.

“Our water power stations react fast compared to thermal plants or nuclear reactors during urgent situations involving possible power outages, and we’ll be able to take appropriate measures efficiently,” K-water said.

The company seeks to enhance harnessing water as an energy resource, citing the fact that it is safe, renewable and environment-friendly.

“Water can generate energy at a cheaper cost compared to other fossil fuels such as coal, and it is also a permanent energy resource,” it said.

“Along with using them for hydroelectric power supply and drinking water, we’ll utilize the dams to provide a place for leisure activities for people. We can help improve the quality of people’s lives in this way. People can expect us to build additional dams in the future.”

As of May, 80.2 percent of the energy generated by the K-water comes from hydroelectric power. The rest is generated from other renewable energy sources, namely tidal, wind and solar energy.

Last year, K-water generated 263 megawatts or 0.4 percent of total electricity demand nationwide from these renewable sources.