This Summer's 'Maximum Nuclear Power Operation'... Nuclear Power Supplies 23.4% of Electricity at Peak

The number of operating nuclear reactors and electricity generation from nuclear power plants this summer reached record highs.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 19th, the nuclear power generation during the peak electricity demand this summer was 21.9GW, and the number of operating reactors was 21, both the highest ever recorded for summer. The peak contribution rate (23.4%) is the highest since 2016 (23.6%).

An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained, "With the start of operation of Shin Hanul Unit 1 in December last year and the maximum operation of nuclear power plants this summer, it greatly contributed to stabilizing the power supply and demand," adding, "The peak contribution of nuclear power is even higher than last year when liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices soared."

The peak electricity demand this summer was recorded at 93.6GW at 5 p.m. on August 7, the highest ever for summer electricity demand. The power supply and demand remained stable. At this peak, the supply capacity secured was 104.3GW, 4.6GW more than last year. Nuclear, coal, LNG, and renewable energy all contributed to the increase in supply capacity. However, based on the actual generation at the peak time, nuclear and renewable energy increased compared to the previous year, while coal and LNG decreased. In particular, solar power generation was only 1.0GW at last year’s peak (5 p.m. on July 7), but this year it increased significantly to 2.5GW.

As the share of solar power grows, the volatility of electricity demand has also increased. The Ministry estimates that solar power capacity, which was around 17GW in 2020, has now exceeded 27GW. While solar power helps share the electricity demand when the weather is good, its high variability and low predictability due to weather conditions also increase the difficulty of supply and demand management. On August 7, when the peak was recorded, the Seoul metropolitan area experienced hot and humid weather, while localized heavy rain occurred in the Honam region, where solar power is concentrated, reducing solar utilization and causing electricity demand to be higher than expected.

Lee Ho-hyun, Director of Electricity Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "Securing predictability of renewable energy is very important for stable supply and demand management," and added, "Since each power source has different characteristics, we will derive a reasonable power mix and reflect it in the next Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand."

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