Agenda
Challenges
By 2030, global energy consumption is projected to be 55% higher than it is today due to population growth, continued urbanisation, and economic expansion. The largest share of this growth will almost certainly occur in the developing world, with most of the additional energy currently projected to come from fossil fuels.
People and the Planet
South Korea was the world’s tenth largest energy consumer in 2007, and with its lack of domestic reserves, Korea is one of the top energy importers in the world.
Energy Information Administration
Political
One of the most important pieces of legislation within South Korea’s energy sector is the "Rational Energy Utilization Act of the Republic of Korea" adopted in 1997, which aims to increase the rational and efficient utilization of the energy, thus reducing the environmental damages caused by the consumption of energy.
UN-ESCAP
However Seoul mounts an effort to increase energy self-sufficiency in a larger campaign to make Korea's energy consumption more sustainable, thereby buffering the country's energy security alongside recent bids and acquisitions of oil firms.
Korea IT Times
Status
International Standing
IEA sees the potential for RE to satisfy 30% of the country's electricity needs. South Korea has established the National Vision for Environmental Policies in the 21st century. An important part of national energy programme is the support of demonstration projects with industry as a major partner, providing valuable experience & developing markets for the new technologies.
Import/Export
Recent figures say that Asia's fourth-largest economy plans to have 30% of its oil and gas imports in 2019 come from its own assets overseas, compared with 9% last year …
Taxes
South Korea has become the latest country to confirm it is considering imposing a carbon tax as it attempts to meet its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 4% by 2020. This will run alongside government plans to implement a national emissions cap-and-trade scheme, which is expected to be piloted across more than 640 public and private bodies from later this year.
Institutional Structure
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
As the ministry in charge of the real economy, we are working to build a “creative economy,” a new paradigm that will expand growth engines, create better jobs, and support balanced growth among industries.
The Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI)
KEEI is the only government-funded research institute specializing in energy policy area in Korea. We actively cope with the changing environment of the energy industry and supports policy development in order to address current energy issues.
Composition
Use
Renewable energy’s contribution to
final energy consumption is composed of several different forms of renewable
energy. Looking at electricity supply alone, renewable energy today accounts
only for 1.4%. The Government’s goal is that renewable energy constitutes at
least 10% of gross energy consumption in 2030.
Renewable Energy World
Research and Development
Status
South Korea plans to spend 1.03 trillion won (US$947 million) this year to promote renewable energy research & development (R&D) and nuclear safety projects, according to official sources.
The amount represents a 3.1 percent gain from 1.01 trillion won spent on energy R&D in 2010. The sum is equal to 6.9 percent of the government’s overall R&D plan of 14.9 trillion won set aside for this year.
Areas
Over 110.1 billion won will be spent on nuclear energy, the ministry said, adding 13 projects, including so-called base isolation R&D, will focus on making nuclear reactors safer from earthquakes. Such projects are expected to improve safety of the country’s 21 operational reactors and make locally designed reactors more attractive in the export market.
Distribution
Agenda
In July 2011, South Korea announced a rich and determined plan for a completely integrated smart grid by 2030 aiming to deploy the world's most extensive smart-grid infrastructure ever.
Transition to Globalisation
The Rise of the New Energy World Order
Energy of all sorts was once hugely abundant, making possible the worldwide economic expansion of the past six decades. This expansion benefited ... "First World". Recently, however, a select group of former "Third World" countries - China and India in particular - have sought to participate in this energy bonanza by industrializing their economies and selling a wide range of goods to international markets.
Globalisation > Economy > Energy > Distribution
Asia Times Online
Transition to Tools
Asia Seeks Integration Despite EU’s Woes
Southeast Asian nations will continue to work toward integrating their diverse economies despite the recent problems the European Union has had with its struggling members... But its economic integration plans, many of which are supposed to be implemented by 2015, have been held back by lingering suspicions about the project among some of the region's national leaders.
Actors > Civil society > Trade Unions > National > South Korea
Transition to Actors
South Korean Trade Unions Demand Unconditional Dialogue on Power Sector Strike
One of the nation's two main umbrella unions proposed unconditional talks with the government to end a strike by power utility workers, though repeated threats of a general strike if Seoul does not respond.
Actors > Civil society > Trade Unions > National > South Korea
