North Korea is reportedly suffering from an extreme shortage of electricity.
 
In an email interview with the Voice of America, Thomas Fisler who heads the Pyongyang office of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation said foreign diplomatic missions in the North Korean capital experience several power outrages a day due to electricity shortages.
    
He explained that last winter’s power situation was the worst since he began working in Pyongyang in November 2013, adding that on some days the power cut out once every hour.
 
He explained that he often read reports attributing the power shortages to the operational failure of hydroelectric power plants amid a serious dry spell.
    
Brazilian Ambassador to North Korea Roberto Colin also said that the power shortages were so serious last winter that blackouts occurred frequently and the voltage was kept very low.