IEA-Korea Energy Efficiency Academic Conference
An analysis revealed that South Korea's energy efficiency improvement rate in 2022 was twice the global average.
On the 22nd, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the 'International Energy Agency (IEA)-Korea Energy Efficiency Academic Conference' at the HJ Business Center in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, with officials from the Korea Energy Agency, the Korea Energy Economics Institute, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in attendance.
This conference was organized to share domestic and international energy efficiency-related issues and discuss ways to expand cooperation between the government and the IEA, prompted by the visit of Nicholas Howarth, the lead author of the IEA's 'Energy Efficiency 2023' report published last October.
Nicholas Howarth, the energy efficiency analyst, introduced the main contents of Energy Efficiency 2023, noting that global energy efficiency improved by 2% in 2022 compared to the previous year. In particular, he evaluated that South Korea achieved a 4% improvement rate, twice the global average, through the implementation of strong efficiency policies.
However, he pointed out that in 2023, energy demand increased by 1.7% compared to the previous year, rising faster than before, resulting in a global energy efficiency improvement rate of only 1.3%. He emphasized that to achieve the global efficiency improvement target for 2030 agreed upon at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28), it is important for governments to play a role in expanding the distribution of high-efficiency devices, increasing the share of electric and small vehicles, reducing energy consumption for building heating and cooling, and strengthening lighting efficiency standards to reduce fossil fuel use.
At the academic conference, Kim Hyun-chul, Director of Energy Efficiency at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "The demand for cooperation between Korea and the IEA will further increase with the spread of the Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) initiative and the implementation of the 2030 NDC and COP28." He added, "On the occasion of the IEA's 50th anniversary, we will strengthen and develop our cooperative relationship with the IEA through hosting international events and promoting joint research."
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