Power consumption hit a new record for the summer on Monday as the mercury rose to a sweltering 30.5 degrees Celsius in Seoul. The Knowledge Economy Ministry said power consumption peaked at 72.6 million kW at 3 p.m., beating the previous record of 72.19 kW set on Aug. 31 last year.

The reserve power ratio was 6 percent at 4.65 million kW.

The reserve power ratio shows how much more electricity can be supplied and is calculated by dividing the amount of reserve electricity by total output capacity. A reserve power ratio of more than 10 percent is considered stable, but it stands between only 6 and 7 percent during peak times. Power demand surged to 73.09 kW at 2:46 p.m. on Monday.

Seoul citizens experienced their first "tropical night" this summer on Sunday, when the temperature stayed above 25 degrees at night. High humidity the following day prompted people to turn their air conditioners to the max. The daytime high on Tuesday is expected to reach 32 degrees in the capital and power consumption is forecast to rise even more.