Signal Drought and warmer seas begin to disrupt Korean power generation

Summary

In autumn 2022 South Jeolla Province recorded its worst drought since weather observation began in 1973. Hydropower generation at the Boseong River dam was halted, and water reserved for power generation was diverted to household and industrial use. At nuclear sites on the east coast, rising sea temperatures began to be formally raised as a factor constraining cooling conditions. The author stresses that neither fuel shortages nor equipment defects were involved. The climate itself was shaking the operating conditions of the power system. These episodes open the argument that energy security must now account for physical climate risk as well as fuel supply.