Energy demand hits yearly high on continued heat wave

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.