ID :
208700
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 20:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208700
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea had no power reserves during partial blackout: lawmaker
SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea effectively had no power reserves and was in danger of experiencing a total blackout last Thursday when electricity was deliberately cut off to many neighborhoods across the country, an opposition lawmaker said.
In a news conference late Wednesday, Rep. Kim Young-hwan, the chairman of the National Assembly's knowledge economy committee, said that from around 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 15, the country repeatedly had no emergency electricity reserves.
The blackouts were caused by unseasonably high temperatures that pushed up power demand for air conditioning to "dangerous levels." The unexpected development, compounded by many power plants going offline for regular maintenance, forced temporary power cuts that affected more than 2.1 million households and numerous businesses.
After the incident, the government claimed that while power was cut to reduce demand and limit fallout, the country had emergency reserves.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, in charge of the country's energy sector, said the country's backup power stood at a little over 1.48 million kilowatts (kW) during the crisis, but numbers were readjusted to just 240,000 kW after a more thorough review of the overall grid at the time of the shortage.
Kim, an opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker, said that despite what the government told the public, the country's critical power line frequency had fallen below the 59.8 hertz (Hz) level.
A line frequency refers to the alternating current or AC that is transmitted from a power plant to the end-user. A constant frequency ensures higher electricity quality while fluctuations can lead to blackouts in serious cases.
In normal times, South Korea's line frequency is stable at 60 Hz with "normal" acceptable fluctuations of plus or minus 0.2 being reported. If the frequency falls below this, the quality of electric power falls off, and if no measures are taken, a nationwide blackout can occur that could take days to repair.
"The only reason why a catastrophe was averted is because emergency shutdowns of power were ordered at the last minute," Kim said.
Related to the claims, the state-run power distributor, Korea Power Exchange (KPX), conceded that around 3 p.m. the country had no reserves and that the line frequency had fallen below the lower limit of 59.8Hz.
"The numbers mean that at that time, demand for electricity in the country outpaced production capability."
The utility, however, said that even if this condition persisted, a nationwide blackout would not have taken place.
"There is a chance that a maximum 39 percent of the power load would have gone offline, although this did not happen since power was cut," the KPX said.
The latest revelation, meanwhile, is expected to fuel debate on why the country came to the brink of a crippling blackout and why the government failed to fully grasp the situation.
Knowledge Economy Minister Choi Joong-kyung admitted on Sunday that he had received a false report about the electricity reserve level. He said that all necessary steps are being taken to fix the breakdown in the nation's power and emergency reporting system.
In a news conference late Wednesday, Rep. Kim Young-hwan, the chairman of the National Assembly's knowledge economy committee, said that from around 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 15, the country repeatedly had no emergency electricity reserves.
The blackouts were caused by unseasonably high temperatures that pushed up power demand for air conditioning to "dangerous levels." The unexpected development, compounded by many power plants going offline for regular maintenance, forced temporary power cuts that affected more than 2.1 million households and numerous businesses.
After the incident, the government claimed that while power was cut to reduce demand and limit fallout, the country had emergency reserves.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, in charge of the country's energy sector, said the country's backup power stood at a little over 1.48 million kilowatts (kW) during the crisis, but numbers were readjusted to just 240,000 kW after a more thorough review of the overall grid at the time of the shortage.
Kim, an opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker, said that despite what the government told the public, the country's critical power line frequency had fallen below the 59.8 hertz (Hz) level.
A line frequency refers to the alternating current or AC that is transmitted from a power plant to the end-user. A constant frequency ensures higher electricity quality while fluctuations can lead to blackouts in serious cases.
In normal times, South Korea's line frequency is stable at 60 Hz with "normal" acceptable fluctuations of plus or minus 0.2 being reported. If the frequency falls below this, the quality of electric power falls off, and if no measures are taken, a nationwide blackout can occur that could take days to repair.
"The only reason why a catastrophe was averted is because emergency shutdowns of power were ordered at the last minute," Kim said.
Related to the claims, the state-run power distributor, Korea Power Exchange (KPX), conceded that around 3 p.m. the country had no reserves and that the line frequency had fallen below the lower limit of 59.8Hz.
"The numbers mean that at that time, demand for electricity in the country outpaced production capability."
The utility, however, said that even if this condition persisted, a nationwide blackout would not have taken place.
"There is a chance that a maximum 39 percent of the power load would have gone offline, although this did not happen since power was cut," the KPX said.
The latest revelation, meanwhile, is expected to fuel debate on why the country came to the brink of a crippling blackout and why the government failed to fully grasp the situation.
Knowledge Economy Minister Choi Joong-kyung admitted on Sunday that he had received a false report about the electricity reserve level. He said that all necessary steps are being taken to fix the breakdown in the nation's power and emergency reporting system.
