What was South Korea’s electricity demand during the heat wave, and how close was it to an emergency alert level?

Maximum electricity demand reached 95.321 gigawatts on Friday. Reserve capacity was 8.2 gigawatts, while an emergency power supply alert is triggered if it falls below 5.5 gigawatts.

Why does the government expect South Korea’s power demand to rise again next week?

The government said high temperatures show no signs of easing, and industrial production is expected to increase after the summer holidays. Those two factors are expected to push demand higher.

How is South Korea preparing for possible electricity shortages this summer?

The energy ministry said it has raised supply to 107 gigawatts, which is 2 gigawatts more than last year. It also said 8.8 gigawatts of extra reserve has been prepared for unforeseen shortages.

Energy demand hits yearly high on continued heat wave

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Summary

Korea recorded its highest electricity demand of the year on Friday amid a prolonged heat wave, with maximum demand reaching 95.321 gigawatts in recent days. The Korea Power Exchange said reserve capacity stood at 8.2 gigawatts, above the emergency alert threshold of 5.5 gigawatts. The government expects demand to rise further next week as hot weather continues and industrial production rebounds after summer holidays.

Key Facts

Total electricity demand was estimated to have passed 10.42 gigawatts between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday.
The Korea Power Exchange said reserve capacity stood at 8.2 gigawatts.
An emergency power supply alert is issued if reserve capacity falls below 5.5 gigawatts.
The energy ministry said it had increased energy supply by 2 gigawatts from last year to 107 gigawatts.
The ministry also said it had prepared an additional 8.8 gigawatts of reserve in case of unforeseen shortage.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 9, 2026 11:54 am KST

A foreigner takes a seat at a park near Hongik University in Mapo District, as a heat wave continues to grip Seoul, Aug. 6. Yonhap

Korea recorded the highest electricity demand for the year in recent days amid a prolonged heat wave, industry data showed Sunday.

The country's maximum electricity demand reached 95.321 gigawatts on Friday, according to data from the Korea Power Exchange (KPX). The reserve capacity stood at 8.2 gigawatts.

An emergency power supply alert is issued if the figure falls below 5.5 gigawatts.

Total electricity demand is estimated to have passed 10.42 gigawatts as of between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, the latest report also showed.

The government expects electricity demand to increase in the coming week, as high temperatures show no signs of letting up, and industrial production is expected to increase following the summer holidays.

The energy ministry has said it has already increased energy supply by 2 gigawatts compared to last year to 107 gigawatts and has prepared an additional 8.8 gigawatts of reserve in case of any unforeseen shortage.

"We are managing the power supply and demand stably, and there are currently no major disruptions in nuclear or solar power generation," the KPX said, adding it plans to make efforts to prevent possible energy supply disruptions.

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