ID :
207415
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 17:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/207415
The shortlink copeid
Unexpected heat wave leads to temporary blackouts
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported massive blackouts Thursday due to unseasonably high temperatures that pushed up demand to what the authorities called "dangerous levels," forcing them to temporarily cut power causing inconvenience for businesses and private citizens.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which handles energy affairs, said the power outages were largely caused by unexpectedly high demand while many of the country's power plants, including nuclear reactors, were temporarily shut down for maintenance.
"Unusually high temperature led to a surge in power demand which spurred an overload amid an ongoing maintenance of some power plants. Temporary power cuts lasting for 30 minutes per region were inevitable," Minister of Knowledge Economy Choi Joong-kyung said in a written apology.
Choi said the government plans to complete the maintenance sooner than planned and utilize additional power facilities starting later in the day in order to prevent more blackouts. The government also requested that citizens refrain from using unnecessary power.
Power outages were reported in various parts of Seoul, including the financial district of Yeouido, and many areas throughout the country, according to the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the country's sole power service provider.
Around 1.62 million households across the country had experienced temporary blackouts as of 6:30 p.m., KEPCO said.
A total of 417 bank branches faced a delay in business operations and services at some automated teller machines were temporarily halted due to the power outages. Operations at 304 branches had been restored as of 7 p.m., but the remaining 113 branches have yet to be restored, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.
No serious damages, however, were reported as most companies, including financial institutions, have their own emergency generators.
The financial watchdog said it is inspecting banks, brokerages and insurance companies and plan to instruct them if damages occur.
The blackouts also temporarily affected services by the country's mobile phone service providers, including Internet and wireless-fidelity networks.
The damages, however, were limited as the regional power outages lasted 30 minutes, which is shorter than the duration of extra batteries, which can last up to six hours, industry officials said.
The state-run power distributor, Korea Power Exchange (KPX), said it began alternately cutting power supplies to neighborhoods or districts for up to 30 minutes from 3:30 p.m. onwards as the country's electricity reserve rate fell to as low as 6 percent, far below the 7 percent level that is considered the safe margin.
A depletion of power reserves could cause a nationwide blackout, which could take days or even weeks to repair, according to ministry officials.
KEPCO said power services returned to normal as of 7:56 p.m., adding that it will keep monitoring the situation as high temperatures are likely to continue.
The state-run agency also said it plans to secure additional power through demand control and voltage adjustment in an effort to keep the electricity reserve rate at the 8 percent level.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which handles energy affairs, said the power outages were largely caused by unexpectedly high demand while many of the country's power plants, including nuclear reactors, were temporarily shut down for maintenance.
"Unusually high temperature led to a surge in power demand which spurred an overload amid an ongoing maintenance of some power plants. Temporary power cuts lasting for 30 minutes per region were inevitable," Minister of Knowledge Economy Choi Joong-kyung said in a written apology.
Choi said the government plans to complete the maintenance sooner than planned and utilize additional power facilities starting later in the day in order to prevent more blackouts. The government also requested that citizens refrain from using unnecessary power.
Power outages were reported in various parts of Seoul, including the financial district of Yeouido, and many areas throughout the country, according to the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the country's sole power service provider.
Around 1.62 million households across the country had experienced temporary blackouts as of 6:30 p.m., KEPCO said.
A total of 417 bank branches faced a delay in business operations and services at some automated teller machines were temporarily halted due to the power outages. Operations at 304 branches had been restored as of 7 p.m., but the remaining 113 branches have yet to be restored, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.
No serious damages, however, were reported as most companies, including financial institutions, have their own emergency generators.
The financial watchdog said it is inspecting banks, brokerages and insurance companies and plan to instruct them if damages occur.
The blackouts also temporarily affected services by the country's mobile phone service providers, including Internet and wireless-fidelity networks.
The damages, however, were limited as the regional power outages lasted 30 minutes, which is shorter than the duration of extra batteries, which can last up to six hours, industry officials said.
The state-run power distributor, Korea Power Exchange (KPX), said it began alternately cutting power supplies to neighborhoods or districts for up to 30 minutes from 3:30 p.m. onwards as the country's electricity reserve rate fell to as low as 6 percent, far below the 7 percent level that is considered the safe margin.
A depletion of power reserves could cause a nationwide blackout, which could take days or even weeks to repair, according to ministry officials.
KEPCO said power services returned to normal as of 7:56 p.m., adding that it will keep monitoring the situation as high temperatures are likely to continue.
The state-run agency also said it plans to secure additional power through demand control and voltage adjustment in an effort to keep the electricity reserve rate at the 8 percent level.
