Heat Wave Sends Power Consumption to New Record

Electricity usage hit a record on Monday as the heat wave showed no signs of abating.

Power consumption reached 83.7 million kW as of 3 p.m., according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It surged to 78.2 million kW on July 11 and has kept rising.

Monday's use broke the previous all-time high of 82.97 million kW set on Jan. 21 this year, and the power reserve plunged to just seven percent or 5.91 million kW.

"Power usage soared because cooling demand increased and many businesses resumed operations after the summer break," a ministry official said.