South Korea Aims to Shut Down All Coal-Fired Power Plants by 2040

The South Korean government has announced plans to close all 60 coal-fired power plants by 2040. To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will replace 27 units with liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants by 2036. Of these, 19 units will be converted to LNG by 2030, while eight will be strategically relocated.

The government also plans to convert 12 units with a design life by 2038 to pumped-out power generation. This type of power source is flexible and can easily adjust to changing energy demands.

Furthermore, the government aims to abolish 21 coal power plants that have not reached their design life by 2040. Up to 10 of these units will be left as 'security power' sources that can operate in emergency situations. The remaining units will be replaced with long-term energy storage systems (BESSs) and small module reactors (SMRs).