ID :
175315
Thu, 04/14/2011 - 06:00
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https://oananews.org//node/175315
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S. Korea's industrial power sales up 11 pct in March
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial electricity sales gained steadily in March, fueled by a rise in demand from the machinery equipment, chemical and automobile sectors, a government report showed Thursday.
Electricity demand rose 11 percent on-year to 21.1 billion kilowatt-hours last month, up from an 8.2 percent increase tallied for February, the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
"Sales went up mainly due to demand from machinery and equipment manufacturers, chemical refineries and car makers," the ministry said. "Electricity sales to the steel mills, semiconductor and shipbuilding sectors also rose."
Demand from machinery and equipment manufacturers soared 24 percent on-year, with sales to local chemical refineries and automobile assembly lines gaining 16.2 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively.
Industrial power sales cover both manufacturing and mining businesses, and accounted for 54.9 percent of domestic electricity sales supplied by the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. They are used as a barometer of industrial activity because companies use more electricity during times when business is good and cut back to cope with falls in orders.
Overall sales of electricity, meanwhile, reached slightly over 38.4 billion kilowatt-hours last month, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier, marking the 24th consecutive month that sales have expanded.
Total power sales include electricity used by educational institutions, homes, shops, farms and for public use, such as streetlights.
The ministry, in addition, said last month's energy demand reached a high of 67.32 million kilowatts at 11 a.m on March 4. At that time, the country's supply capacity stood at 72.43 million kilowatts with the reserve rate standing at 7.6 percent, or about 5.11 million kilowatts.
Electricity demand rose 11 percent on-year to 21.1 billion kilowatt-hours last month, up from an 8.2 percent increase tallied for February, the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
"Sales went up mainly due to demand from machinery and equipment manufacturers, chemical refineries and car makers," the ministry said. "Electricity sales to the steel mills, semiconductor and shipbuilding sectors also rose."
Demand from machinery and equipment manufacturers soared 24 percent on-year, with sales to local chemical refineries and automobile assembly lines gaining 16.2 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively.
Industrial power sales cover both manufacturing and mining businesses, and accounted for 54.9 percent of domestic electricity sales supplied by the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. They are used as a barometer of industrial activity because companies use more electricity during times when business is good and cut back to cope with falls in orders.
Overall sales of electricity, meanwhile, reached slightly over 38.4 billion kilowatt-hours last month, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier, marking the 24th consecutive month that sales have expanded.
Total power sales include electricity used by educational institutions, homes, shops, farms and for public use, such as streetlights.
The ministry, in addition, said last month's energy demand reached a high of 67.32 million kilowatts at 11 a.m on March 4. At that time, the country's supply capacity stood at 72.43 million kilowatts with the reserve rate standing at 7.6 percent, or about 5.11 million kilowatts.
