[Anchor]

As the ongoing heatwave causes a surge in electricity usage, power outages in apartments, presumed to be due to overload, have been occurring one after another.

In particular, older apartments are at a greater risk of power outages.

This summer, forecasts suggest that electricity demand may reach an all-time high. How should we manage electricity usage?

Reporter Choi Hye-rim has the story.

[Report]

Even though it is early evening, the entire apartment complex is dark.

The air conditioning units have stopped, and there are no lights on anywhere.

Last night (7.9), an apartment complex in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, with about a thousand households experienced a power outage, which was restored around 4 AM today (7.10) after seven hours.

Currently, electricity supply has been normalized, but residents had to endure inconveniences overnight.

[Kim Jeong-gi/Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province: "The electricity suddenly went out while I was using the air conditioner. When I opened the window, the heat just came in. It was so hot that people came out, and it was chaotic."]

The continued heatwave has led to increased electricity usage, such as air conditioning, causing overload in internal facilities.

[Apartment Manager: "It suddenly overloaded; our apartment is 29 years old. Because of that, the transformer is also old..."]

In a residential complex in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, power outages have also occurred, and such summer power outages in apartments are primarily attributed to aging facilities.

If old equipment continues to operate at high temperatures, it could lead to fires.

For apartments that are over 20 years old, regular inspections are essential.

[Kim Yeon-soo/Korea Electric Power Corporation, Southern Seoul Headquarters: "Using thermal imaging diagnostics, we need to check whether excessive heat is being generated in apartment electrical systems, and take appropriate measures to lower the temperature, especially in the power receiving facilities where electrical equipment is located."]

This summer, it is projected that the maximum electricity demand will reach an all-time high of 97.8 GW, so efforts to reduce electricity usage during evening hours are also necessary to prevent power outages.

This is KBS News, Choi Hye-rim.

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