"New Nuclear Plants to Be Finalized Early Through Public Opinion Surveys and Forums"... First General Committee Meeting for 12th Basic Electricity Plan Held

First General Committee Meeting for the 12th Basic Plan Held
Comprehensive Energy Strategy of the New Administration Begins in Earnest
Expansion of Renewables and Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels
Nuclear Power's Role, Including New Plant Construction, to Be Included

A panoramic view of the 'Taean Haetdeulwon Solar Power Plant' completed in Taean County, Chungnam. GS Engineering & Construction

The first General Committee meeting to discuss the direction for establishing the "12th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand," which will outline South Korea's long-term electricity supply and demand strategy from 2026 to 2040, was held at the Government Complex Seoul on the afternoon of December 9.

The 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, which will be finalized by the end of next year, is expected to serve as the new administration's first comprehensive energy plan. It will likely include the expansion of renewable energy, the phasing out of fossil fuels, and a new role for nuclear power.

Before the start of the committee meeting, Minister Kim emphasized, "The 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand must comprehensively present the direction of energy policy, which has so far been discussed only in terms of goals or specific issues. We must mark out a clear path so that we do not lose our way in the process of achieving these goals." He identified the first priority as "developing a detailed blueprint for transitioning our power system from carbon-based generation to renewable energy."

Minister Kim stated, "We need to determine the maximum feasible supply of renewable energy by 2040. In order to integrate more renewable energy into the power system, we must reinforce the power grid in a timely manner and also reform the market system."

Minister Kim also announced that coal-fired power generation must be significantly reduced, and that liquefied natural gas (LNG) power, which serves as a bridge energy source, should be managed appropriately for aging facilities while gradually converting to hydrogen co-firing and full hydrogen power generation.

He added that new nuclear power plants reflected in the 11th Basic Plan will be finalized early through public opinion surveys and national forums, and then incorporated into the 12th Basic Plan.

During the national forum, various opinions will be collected on the decarbonized energy mix plan for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as on solutions for the intermittency of renewables and the inflexibility of nuclear power.

Minister Kim stressed, "To mitigate the variability of renewables, which will be the main power source in the future, and the inflexibility of nuclear power, we must economically and rapidly expand flexible power sources such as energy storage systems (ESS) and pumped-storage hydropower. We also need to further enhance the flexible operation capabilities of nuclear power plants."

He also stated that it is necessary to design systems that optimize demand by shifting electricity consumption to periods when renewable energy is most abundantly produced.

He continued, "We must establish stable electricity supply measures to support the global competitiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced industries. We need to provide more accurate forecasts for additional power demand, propose measures such as grid reinforcement and demand dispersion, and instill confidence that stable supply is possible."

Meanwhile, the General Committee consists of experts in the electricity sector, related organizations, and relevant ministries, and was formed to prepare the working draft of the 12th Basic Plan. At the meeting, the direction for the 12th Basic Plan, which was discussed at the 10th Electricity Policy Deliberation Committee on November 27, was shared with the members, and opinions were collected on the key areas that the General Committee should focus on.

From this meeting onward, subcommittees under the General Committee will be formed to draft preliminary plans for each area. After comprehensive review by the General Committee, these will be finalized as the working draft. The subcommittees will cover demand planning, facility planning, grid innovation, market innovation, and Jeju, among others.

The Ministry of Climate stated, "Unlike the 11th Basic Plan, the 12th will not form separate working groups within each subcommittee. Instead, each subcommittee will discuss key issues from an integrated perspective, and there will be continuous feedback among the subcommittees for power source planning, grid, and market."

Additionally, considering the importance of expanding the grid to supply power for renewable energy and AI/advanced industries, a new subcommittee on grid innovation will be established.