SEOUL: The Republic of Korea’s average daily maximum power demand reached a new high in August as the country experienced scorching summer heat that persisted throughout the month, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing Korea Power Exchange on Monday.

The country’s peak power demand in August averaged 87.8 gigawatts, a 6.1 percent increase from a year earlier.

The increase was driven by the higher electricity consumption for air conditioning due to the heat wave that continued throughout the month.

Korea’s meteorological agency reported that the number of heat wave days, or days when the daily high was 33 degrees Celsius or higher, reached 16 in August, the second-highest since 1973, when the data was first recorded.

The number of tropical nights, where nighttime temperatures remained above 25 C from 18:00 to 9:00 the following day, reached 11.3 days in August as well, marking the first time this figure has reached double digits.

Source: Emirates News Agency