In addition to marking the first new nuclear power plant construction plans in nine years since the Seventh Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand was enacted, attention has been focused on the fact that SMRs are also mentioned for the first time.
The spread of artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles, the electrification of major industries, have led to a rapid increase in electricity consumption, and carbon-free energy (CF
This can be seen as an expression of the will of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to maximize the use of nuclear power, which is one of the major power sources. However, after going through reports to the National Assembly's standing committees and public hearings,
The plan is expected to face strong backlash from the opposition parties, who support the "Nuclear Defense" initiative, as well as anti-nuclear groups. Some have also criticized the plan for forcing the inclusion of SMRs, which are still under development, into the plan.
The Electricity Supply and Demand Basic Plan General Committee released the 11th Electricity Supply and Demand Basic Plan Practical Draft based on these contents on the 31st.
The Korean government will create a basic plan every two years that will be applied for the next 15 years. The plan will include a detailed plan on how to expand power generation facilities based on a long-term electricity demand forecast.
The inclusion of new nuclear power plant construction in the current working plan is believed to be due to the judgment that the current power generation facilities alone will not be able to meet the rapidly increasing demand for electricity.
It is estimated that the power demand for semiconductors and data centers will more than double in 2030 compared to 2023 due to the impact of AI. In addition, the domestic power demand is expected to increase to a maximum of 1
It is expected that this will reach 29.3 gigawatts, and the power generation capacity required to meet this will be 157.8 gigawatts.
New renewable energy power generation facility promotion plan and existing nuclear power plant construction plan, aging
Considering that the confirmed installed capacity for 2038 is 147.2 gigawatts, which reflects replacement facilities for fossil fuel power plants, it is predicted that an additional 10.6 gigawatts of power generation facilities will be required.
The government has proposed making up for the shortfall with large-scale nuclear power plants (4.4 gigawatts), LNG power plants (2.5 gigawatts), and SMRs (0.7 gigawatts).
In the case of large nuclear power plants, the latest Korean-type APR-1400 reactor has an installed capacity of 1.4 gigawatts per unit, and it is estimated that up to three units will be built.
In the case of a new power plant, it would normally take 13 years and 11 months to build it, including the time required to secure land. Therefore, unless construction work begins immediately, it will not be possible to complete the project by around 2038, the final year of the 11th Basic Practical Plan for Electricity.
The South Korean government plans to begin the process of selecting a site for the construction of a new nuclear power plant as early as the second half of this year. Possible sites for the new nuclear power plant include Ulju County, Ulsan City, Gyeongsanbuk-do County, and Gyeonggi-do County.
In the case of Ulju County, Seoul Units 1 to 4 are already in operation, so there is high tolerance from residents, and the company that owns Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.
The site of the Korea Materials Development Institute and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Energy Studies (KINGS) is considered to be a promising option. The working plan also recommends accelerating the spread of new and renewable energy.
Prior to this, the 10th Practical Plan set a target of 99.8 gigawatts for the penetration of solar and wind power generation facilities in 2036, but the 11th Practical Plan set the target for the final year, 2038, at 115 gigawatts.
The capacity of solar and wind power facilities in South Korea is set at 23 gigawatts in 2022, and is expected to increase to 72.5 gigawatts in 2030, the midpoint of the 11th Practical Draft.
The goal is to more than triple that to gigawatts. “This is a very challenging figure, but it is absolutely necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Chung-Ang University professor Jeong Dong-wook.
If this proposal is approved, the proportion of carbon-free power generation centered on new renewable energy sources and nuclear power will increase from 39.1% in 2023 to 52.9% in 2030 and 41.4% in 2038.
The proportion of nuclear power and new renewable energy, the main carbon-free energy sources, will reach 31.8% and 21.6%, respectively, in 2030, and further increase to 35.6% in 2038 and 35.7% in 2039.
The share of hydrogen and ammonia power generation will increase from 2.4% in 2030 to 5.5% in 2038.
The 11th practical plan recommended by the Electricity Supply and Demand Basic Plan General Committee to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is as follows:
The decision will be finalized after going through procedures such as evaluation of the future environmental impact, discussions between government ministries, reporting to the Diet, and public hearings. However, this process is expected to be difficult due to opposition from the opposition parties and environmental groups.
After the draft plan was made public, the Green Alliance and the United Nations Environmental Movement strongly criticized it, saying that it only reflects the profits that will be generated by nuclear power.
Many have pointed out the lack of reality in the fact that SMR has not yet been commercialized.
"Development is expected to proceed at a rapid pace," he said. "Companies such as Doosan Energy are producing advanced technology, so we can proceed without any hindrances."
Kim Han-gon, head of the Innovative SMR Technology Development Project, said, "SMR has been included in the practical plan and has become a concrete project, so we will do our best to keep it on schedule.
"SMRs can be easily put to use as they can replace thermal power generation locally or can be used as a distributed power source to achieve carbon neutrality," he said.
Another issue that needs to be resolved quickly is the construction of a power transmission and distribution network. In 2008, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) completed construction of an east coast power transmission line to send electricity produced at power plants along the east coast to the capital area.
The construction plan was announced, but 16 years have passed since then and construction has yet to begin. Demand for electricity has increased sharply in the metropolitan area due to the construction of the Yongin Semiconductor Complex and data centers.
However, due to a lack of transmission lines, they are relying on LNG power generation and coal-fired power generation. Professor Jeong Dong-wook said, "We need a transmission network of 10 gigawatts or more, which is more than the 10th practical plan.
"The expansion of the power grid requires active cooperation from the government, the National Diet, businesses and local governments," he said, emphasizing that the 21st National Diet is planning to enact the "National Power Grid Expansion Special Act."
It has ended in failure.
2024/06/03 07:26 KST
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