Jeju sets all-time power demand record amid relentless heat wave

Jeju Island set an all-time record for peak power demand as relentless heat waves continued to grip the region.

According to the Korea Power Exchange, Jeju's peak power demand reached 1,186.3 megawatts (MW) as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, surpassing the previous record for any summer or winter period.

Daytime temperatures in Jeju climbed to 32.4 degrees Celsius, driving a sharp surge in cooling demand that pushed past the previous record of 1,178.6 MW set on Aug. 5, 2024.

The Korea Power Exchange said peak demand could be broken again as the heat wave and tropical nights persist.

However, the supply reserve stood at 433.6 MW, with a reserve rate of 36.6 percent, keeping the power supply situation stable. A reserve rate above 10 percent is generally considered a stable level.

As the intense heat continues, power consumption driven by cooling demand has been climbing steadily. The monthly average peak power rose from 71.5 GW in June to 83.9 GW last month and has reached 82.9 GW so far this month.

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy earlier projected that power demand could rise to between 94.1 GW and 98.8 GW in the third week of August. If that forecast holds, it would surpass the all-time national peak of 97 GW recorded in 2024.

The ministry said it expanded this summer's power supply capacity to 107 GW, up 2 GW from last year, adding that even if demand reaches 98.8 GW, reserves of 8.2 GW would keep the situation "manageable."

The government and Korea Electric Power Corporation have designated June 29 through Sept. 18 as a power supply management period, maintaining emergency response readiness with relevant agencies.

Korea Electric Power Corporation has drawn up equipment stability plans covering the three major summer disaster scenarios — heavy rain, typhoons and heat waves. The utility monitors power facilities nationwide around the clock and maintains an emergency restoration system on constant standby through an ICT-based intelligent grid management framework, enabling immediate deployment when emergencies arise.

The Korea Power Exchange's Jeju branch said it is doing everything possible to manage power supply and demand during the summer period, preparing for abnormal heat, unexpected outages on interconnection lines and generator shutdowns.