South Korea has announced plans to build new nuclear power plants, and to increase its level of renewable energy capacity, as part of its plan to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The country’s energy ministry has put forward new long-term energy plans that would boost the percentage of nuclear energy in the generation mix from 26 per cent to 41 per cent by 2030. The level of renewable energy in the generation mix will also rise to 11 per cent from its current level of just over two per cent.
The plans would involve the construction of 11 new nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of around 15 GW. The country currently operates 20 reactors at four sites with a combined total capacity of 17.5 GW. A further eight reactors totalling 9.4 GW are either under construction or planned.
The government is also planning to strengthen research and investment in solar, wind power, hydrogen fuels and gasification technologies. The country needs to import some 97 per cent of its total energy requirements while steady economic growth is driving demand for electricity.
German group Conergy recently announced plans to expand a 19.6 MW solar photovoltaic plant in SinAn, Korea to 24 MW. The company says it completed the first phase of the EUR90 million plant – the largest of its kind in Asia – six months ahead of schedule and was aiming to finish the EUR20 million expansion by the end of 2008.
South Korea is seen as one of the key growth markets for renewable energy in Asia, says Conergy. In 2007 alone, 134 solar energy systems were connected to the public power grid representing a 163 per cent rise on 2006.
