Power generation team works at full capacity to support Antarctic expedition

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The power generation team at China's Zhongshan Station in Antarctica is working at full capacity to ensure a stable energy supply for the country's 40th Antarctic expedition.   In Antarctica, winter temperatures can drop to below minus 80 degrees Celsius, and snowfall can be extremely heavy, sometimes accumulating to several meters in height. In such an unforgiving environment, maintaining a stable power supply becomes a significant challenge.

At the Zhongshan Station, the power generation building oversees and controls the entire station's power supply.

"This is our power generation room, where all the station's switches are located. The power generation building is equivalent to the heart in the human body. If the power in this building fails, there will be no electricity across the entire station area," said Zhang Dong, head of the power generation team for China's 40th Antarctic expedition.

In Antarctica, energy is the lifeline for human survival. Whether enduring a long, frigid night or basking in daylight, energy serves as the most fundamental and vital support for the station.

""Our work pressure is also greater than in other positions, with three people working in two shifts. Each shift lasts 12 hours. This power generation room requires workers to monitor the operation of the generators 24 hours a day. So far this year, we've generated 990,000 kWh of electricity," Zhang said.

At the Zhongshan Station, energy is primarily supplied by diesel, with the three generator sets in the power generation building undergoing maintenance once every two weeks on a rotational basis.

Additionally, the power generation building oversees the station's fire protection system. This system records and prints real-time alerts pinpointing problem areas, enabling swift resolution.

“The biggest challenge in Antarctica is handling fire emergencies. Unlike in China, where water can be used to extinguish fires. In Antarctica, snow is ineffective for this purpose. While there is an abundance of water here, it's all in the form of ice. Our fire-fighting system relies on Heptafluoropropane, a highly effective agent. For instance, if a fire breaks out in the power generation room, this system can suppress it by displacing all the air inside the room,” Zhang said.

The oil storage tank at the Zhongshan Station has a capacity of 660 cubic meters, which ensures smooth operation of the station.

The Zhongshan Station is the second Chinese research station in Antarctica and was opened on February 26, 1989.

Power generation team works at full capacity to support Antarctic expedition

The deepening political turmoil has taken a serious toll on South Korea's economy as international investors are selling their holds of the country's assets.

According to data from the Korea Exchange released on Saturday, due to President Yoon Suk-yeol's controversial martial law declaration earlier this month, foreign investors rapidly fled the South Korean stock market from December 4 to 20, with net sales of more than three trillion Korean won in 13 trading days.

On December 4 alone, the first trading day after the martial law, foreign capital net sales reached 40.79 billion Korean won.

In the foreign exchange market, the Korean won also suffered from continuous selling. At the close of trading on Tuesday, the Korean won had depreciated to 1,456.4 per U.S. dollar.

South Korea's political turmoil has also impacted the country's real economy.

According to a survey from the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KBIZ), 46.9 percent of the restaurants and hotels surveyed saw sudden cancellation of year-end event orders or other types of losses after the martial law was declared on Dec. 3. Among the companies that were not directly affected by the political turmoil , 46.6 percent expressed their worries on their future operations.

"The situation has turned worse after the president was impeached. It is the president who created this mess. The economy is now at the bottom. No foreign tourists come, and even local customers don't come at all," said Kim Jae-joo, owner of a restaurant in South Korea.

According to another survey from the KBIZ, 26.3 percent of the surveyed small and medium-sized export companies suffered economic losses due to the political turmoil, and 63.5 percent of the surveyed companies are worried that their future export would be impacted.

Deepening Political turmoil takes serious toll on South Korea's economy