Three provinces and one city in South Korea have urged President Moon Jae-in’s administration to bring forward a deadline to phase out coal-fired power generation in the country. The city of Incheon, as well as Jeollanam, Gangwon, and Chungnam provinces are home to most of South Korea’s coal-fired power generation. These regions also asked Seoul to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), which aims to advance the transition from unabated coal to clean energy.
In 2018, South Korea released 728 million tons of CO2 equivalent, making it the world’s tenth-largest greenhouse gas emitter. Coal accounts for 196 TWh or 36% of South Korea’s total 36.9 GW installed power generation capacity. The country plans to retire ten coal-fired plants by 2022 and another 20 by 2034. However, it also has 7.5 GW of new coal power capacity under construction.
The country has an existing plan to end coal-fired power generation completely and reach a net-zero carbon level by 2050. It also aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 35% or more by 2030 versus 2018 levels. Analysts expect the use of coal in South Korea’s power generation would decline by 40% from today to 2040.
