Seoul Suffers Blackouts as Heatwave Strains Power Grid

Seoul experienced widespread power outages in various districts as residents cranked up air conditioners to combat a persistent heatwave and tropical nights. The surge in electricity usage led to equipment failures and blackouts across the city.

In Nowon-gu, an apartment complex in Hagye-dong suffered a significant outage around 9:46 PM on August 3rd. The failure of a transformer, attributed to electrical overload, affected 602 households across five buildings. The apartment management office deployed a spare transformer, restoring power by 3:17 AM the following morning. Residents endured over five hours without air conditioning or refrigeration during the peak of the heat.

The Nowon-gu district office provided temporary shelter for affected residents, offering three rooms and support for six individuals. The Hagye 2-dong community center was also opened as an emergency shelter.

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These days, with the hot weather, electricity consumption increases, and power outages occur more frequently.

Simultaneously, a similar incident occurred in Gangseo-gu's Naebalsan-dong, where an apartment complex experienced a blackout impacting 919 households due to electrical overload. The management office issued announcements urging residents to reduce electricity consumption. Power was restored approximately one hour later, around 11:00 PM.

A Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) official noted that power outages become more frequent during hot weather due to increased electricity demand. KEPCO provides on-site support when requested, even for outages originating from internal building facilities.

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If a request comes, we provide on-site support.