Energy in South Korea
Encyclopedia
Energy in South Korea describes energy
and electricity
production, consumption and import in South Korea
. Energy policy of South Korea will describe the politics of South Korea
related to energy more in detail. Electricity sector in South Korea will be the main article of electricity in South Korea.
South Korea
's mineral production is not adequate to meet its need for manufacturing. The country imports bituminous and anthracite coal and crude petroleum. In 1987, 23.4 million tons of anthracite coal, 4,000 tons of tungsten, 565,000 tons of iron ore, and 47,000 tons of zinc ore were mined. Copper, lead, molybdenum, gold, silver, kaolin, and fluorite also were mined in lesser quantity (see fig. 9).
Energy producers were dominated by government enterprises, although privately operated coal mines and oil refineries also existed. In 1990, South Korea still had no proven oil reserves. Exploration until the 1980s in the Yellow Sea and on the continental shelf between Korea and Japan did not find any offshore oil, but the search continued. Coal supply in the country was insufficient and of low quality. The potential for hydroelectric power was limited because of high seasonal variations in the weather and the concentration of most of the rainfall in the summer. Accordingly, the government increasingly focused on developing nuclear power generation
.
More recent statistics:
KOGAS (한국가스공사) acts as importer of LNG for the power generators.
generation. The country's first nuclear power plant, the Kori Number One
located near Pusan, which opened in 1977. Eight plants operated in 1987 when atomic power generation was an estimated 71,158 million kilowatts, or 53.1% of total electric power.
to reduce reliance on foreign oil imports may provide incentive for conglomerates' solar plans. The Ministry of Knowledge and Economy said the country intends to spend 194.4 billion won ($193 million) on technologies and projects, including solar, wind and biofuel
s, in 2008r.
Global warming
According to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center CDIAC South Korea is among the top ten, namely ninth, highest country in carbon dioxide emissions in the period 1950-2005. USA (25 %), China (10 %) and Russia (8 %) are the top country's in carbon dioxide emissions in 1950-2005.
World energy resources and consumption
]World energy consumption in 2010: over 5% growthEnergy markets have combined crisis recovery and strong industry dynamism. Energy consumption in the G20 soared by more than 5% in 2010, after the slight decrease of 2009. This strong increase is the result of two converging trends...
and electricity
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
production, consumption and import in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Energy policy of South Korea will describe the politics of South Korea
Politics of South Korea
Politics of the Republic of Korea takes place in the framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and...
related to energy more in detail. Electricity sector in South Korea will be the main article of electricity in South Korea.
South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's mineral production is not adequate to meet its need for manufacturing. The country imports bituminous and anthracite coal and crude petroleum. In 1987, 23.4 million tons of anthracite coal, 4,000 tons of tungsten, 565,000 tons of iron ore, and 47,000 tons of zinc ore were mined. Copper, lead, molybdenum, gold, silver, kaolin, and fluorite also were mined in lesser quantity (see fig. 9).
Energy producers were dominated by government enterprises, although privately operated coal mines and oil refineries also existed. In 1990, South Korea still had no proven oil reserves. Exploration until the 1980s in the Yellow Sea and on the continental shelf between Korea and Japan did not find any offshore oil, but the search continued. Coal supply in the country was insufficient and of low quality. The potential for hydroelectric power was limited because of high seasonal variations in the weather and the concentration of most of the rainfall in the summer. Accordingly, the government increasingly focused on developing nuclear power generation
Nuclear power in South Korea
The total electrical generation capacity of the nuclear power plants of South Korea is 18.5 GWe from 21 reactors. This is 29.5% of South Korea's total electrical generation capacity, but 45% of total electrical consumption...
.
Overview
| Energy in South Korea | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capita | Prim. energy | Production | Import | Electricity | CO2-emission | |
| Million | TWh | TWh | TWh | TWh | Mt | |
| 2004 | 48.1 | 2,478 | 442 | 2,140 | 355 | 462 |
| 2007 | 48.5 | 2,584 | 494 | 2,213 | 412 | 489 |
| 2008 | 48.6 | 2,639 | 520 | 2,269 | 430 | 501 |
| Change 2004-2008 | 1.1 % | 6.5 % | 17.6 % | 6.0 % | 21.1 % | 8.5 % |
| Mtoe = 11.63 TWh, Prim. energy includes energy losses that are 2/3 for nuclear power | ||||||
Electric power
The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) provided electricity in the country. When KEPCO's predecessor, KECO, was founded in 1961, annual power production was 1,770 million kilowatt-hours (kwhr). Production reached 73,992 million kwhr in 1987. In 1987, residential customers used 17.9% of total production, public and service businesses, 16.2%, and the industrial sector, 65.9%. Sources of power generation were primarily nuclear power, coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas. Of the 54,885 million kwhr of electricity generated in 1985, 22% came from nuclear plants then in operation, 74%, from thermal plants (oil and coal), and 4%, from hydroelectric sites. It was predicted in 1988 that the generation structure by the year 2000 would be 10.2% hydroelectric, 12.2% oil, 22.9% coal, 10.2% LNG, and 44.5% nuclear.More recent statistics:
| Source | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Thermal | 264,747 (62.7%) | 278,400 (64.2%) | 315,608 (66.5%) |
| Nuclear | 150,958 (35.7%) | 147,771 (34.1%) | 148,596 (31.1%) |
| Hydro | 5,561 (1.3%) | 5,641 (1.3%) | 6,472 (1.4%) |
| Other | 1,090 (0.3%) | 1,791 (0.4%) | 3,984 (0.8%) |
| Total | 422,355 | 433,604 | 474,660 |
Thermal
- KEPCO (한국전력공사) controls 5 regional gencos who sell via KPX to the grid:
- Korea East-West Power (한국동서발전㈜)
- Korea Midland Power (한국중부발전㈜)
- Korea South-Eastern Power (한국남동발전㈜)
- Korea Southern Power (한국남부발전㈜)
- Korea Western Power (한국서부발전㈜)
KOGAS (한국가스공사) acts as importer of LNG for the power generators.
Cogeneration and steam-heating
- Korea District Heating Corporation (KDHC, 한국지역난방공사㈜) supplies steam and CHP to the Seoul area and Daegu. GS Power and SH Corp are local providers. KDHC is the world's largest district heatingDistrict heatingDistrict heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating...
company.
Nuclear Power
South Korea placed a heavy emphasis on nuclear powerNuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
generation. The country's first nuclear power plant, the Kori Number One
Kori Nuclear Power Plant
The Kori Nuclear Power Plant is a South Korean nuclear power plant located in Gori, a suburban village in Busan. It is owned and operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a subsidiary of KEPCO...
located near Pusan, which opened in 1977. Eight plants operated in 1987 when atomic power generation was an estimated 71,158 million kilowatts, or 53.1% of total electric power.
Renewable energy
The government decision in July 2008 to increase investment in renewable energyRenewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
to reduce reliance on foreign oil imports may provide incentive for conglomerates' solar plans. The Ministry of Knowledge and Economy said the country intends to spend 194.4 billion won ($193 million) on technologies and projects, including solar, wind and biofuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
s, in 2008r.