South Korea faces record heat-driven power demand, activates emergency response

Extreme heat sweeping South Korea has pushed power demand to historic levels. Forecasts for the third week of August project peak demand of 94.1 GW, with the possibility of reaching up to 98.8 GW, surpassing previous records of 92.9 GW recorded in mid‑June. The Korea Power Exchange expects the highest load between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on August 3, when demand could hit 88.9 GW.

The government and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) have activated an emergency power‑supply response period running from June 29 to September 18. Reserve capacity stands at 16.2 GW, giving a reserve margin of 18.2%, well above the 10% threshold considered safe. Additional standby resources of 8.8 GW have been prepared, and total summer generation capacity has been raised to 107 GW, 2 GW more than last year. Officials say the supply‑demand balance remains stable and blackout risk is low, while continuous 24‑hour monitoring and an intelligent grid system are in place to address any sudden shortfalls.