Power Usage Surges Due to Cold Wave and Heavy Snow... Solar Power Utilization Drops to 12%

Due to this week's cold wave and heavy snowfall mainly on the west coast, electricity demand has surged sharply, but the power supply and demand remain stable.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 25th that the daily peak electricity demand last week was around 81 to 86 GW, but on the 23rd, it rose to 89.2 GW.

An official from the ministry explained, "The reason for the sharp increase in electricity demand within a week is the simultaneous occurrence of abnormal low temperatures caused by the Arctic cold wave and a decrease in solar power utilization due to heavy snowfall," adding, "Last Friday, the lowest temperature in Seoul was 4 degrees Celsius, but this week it plummeted to minus 14 degrees Celsius."

Citizens are walking in the snow near Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Also, in some areas, snow accumulated on solar panels has not melted, so the solar power utilization rate at 10 a.m. has not exceeded the 10% range. It recorded 12% on the 22nd, 13% on the 23rd, and 16% on the 24th.

Despite the rapid increase in demand, the reserve margin is over 15 GW, indicating a stable supply and demand situation. Hanul Unit 1 and Hanbit Unit 2, which completed maintenance last week, have been operating at full capacity since this week, providing some leeway in supply and demand. Additionally, Shinhanul Unit 2 is contributing partially to power supply through trial operations.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Choi Nam-ho, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the Seoul Combined Power Plant, a key facility supplying electricity and heating to the metropolitan area, to directly inspect the management status of core power facilities and connected via video conference with the Korea Power Exchange to check the power supply and demand situation for this winter. At the meeting, Vice Minister Choi said, "The reserve margin is sufficient so far, and we will ensure that there are no disruptions in power supply during the remaining winter power supply period (~February 29)."