South Korea’s electricity demand this summer is forecast to peak next week, the industry ministry said Wednesday, adding that the government will closely monitor the supply situation over the stoppage of a power plant and an approaching typhoon.

The country’s maximum electricity demand is estimated to rise to 92.5 to 97.8 gigawatts (GW) around Aug. 10, the most this summer, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It would be larger than the 91.1 GW logged the previous year due to hotter-than-usual weather conditions this summer.

The country is expected to see a stable energy supply during the peak season, but the government has been on alert as the estimated supply fell to 103.8 GW from the earlier forecast of 106.4 GW.

The decrease came as the No. 2 unit of the Hanbit nuclear power plant in the southern county of Yeonggwang came to a halt last month during a system test.

The date that its operations will resume has not been decided yet.

South Korea is also bracing for the potential influence of Typhoon Khanun, which is nearing the southwestern islands of Japan.

The country’s energy reserves are expected to drop to between 6 and 11.3 GW, and the government has vowed to manage the energy supply in a preemptive manner, the ministry said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency