North Korea encouraged electricity conservation, as recently it faced extreme power shortages due to severe flood damage and international sanctions. It also called for stricter regulations and cross-production of electricity.
Rodong Sinmun reported yesterday that “one of the most crucial methods for saving and effectively utilizing produced electricity is to strengthen the discipline of cross-production.” The newspaper highlighted that “if factories and enterprises do not properly organize cross-production, it will lead to declines in key electricity indicators, such as voltage and frequency, resulting in reduced production efficiency and wasted electricity.”
The report stressed that “enhancing cross-production discipline is vital for eliminating electricity waste and making the most of produced electricity.” This situation underscores North Korea’s severe power shortages.
The newspaper also criticized specific factories and enterprises for consuming more electricity than planned under various pretexts and for creating artificial obstacles to effective cross-production organization by citing special circumstances. It noted that “this causes significant electricity waste and disrupts the normalization of production in other sectors and units.”
Furthermore, they stressed that “the power industry sector must seek ways to improve and effectively utilize the already established national unified power management system.”
While North Korea has been touting its success in meeting power production targets at central power plants, the situation suggests a severe power shortage. The request for cross-production during the summer, a period when hydropower generation usually increases, points to an acute electricity deficit. The power shortages are more severe than anticipated, with some areas in North Hamgyong Province receiving electricity for only 1 to 2 hours a day.
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