Korea will likely experience a serious electricity shortage this summer. The government forecasts it may have to issue a power supply alert for the first time in eight years. In the worst-case scenario, officials are not ruling out the possibility of a blackout in the event of an emergency, such as a massive shutdown of power plants.
At a recent interagency meeting to discuss power demand and supply, officials predicted that backup power could drop to 40 gigawatts in the last week of this month, with the power reserve ratio falling to 4.2 percent. That means the country will see its electricity shortage double that of last summer.
Meteorologists have not ruled out the possibility that the heat wave gripping Europe and North America will hit the Korean Peninsula, too. On top of this, the earlier-than-expected economic recovery and the resultant increase of industrial output will likely push the demand for power to an all-time high.
There is still a little leeway, but if an unexpected situation happens during the peak demand period, the government will have to consider implementing rolling power cuts, a step taken in the critical stages of an electricity supply alert. When the administration took a similar measure in September 2011, the industrial sector was hit by a great shock and confusion. Officials should do all they can to ensure a stable power supply, learning a lesson from its failure a decade ago.
The government should never let the country experience a blackout, which will result in national confusion incomparable to a rolling power outage. It has decided to secure additional backup power by adjusting the periodical overhaul of two large power plants. It will also call for private businesses to participate in a power-saving campaign, including the dispersion of summer vacations and the rotating shutdowns of coolers.
Officials still rule out the reactivation of thermal plants in any situation. However, if a blackout is imminent, they should not stick to principle only. All related agencies must go all out to prepare for a possible emergency while maintaining maximum alert.