2025年韩国能源政策述评

INTERNATIONAL ENERGY The IEA examines thefull spectrumof energy issuesincluding oil, gas andcoal supply anddemand, renewableenergy technologies,electricity markets,energy efficiency,access to energy, IEAAssociation IEAMember AustraliaAustriaBelgiumCanadaCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceArgentinaBrazilChinaEgyptIndiaIndonesiaKenyaMoroccoSenegal This publication and any mapincluded herein are withoutprejudice to the status of orsovereignty over anyterritory, to the delimitation Source: IEA.International Energy AgencyWebsite: www.iea.org Table of contents Executive summary............................................................................................4 Hydrogen in Korea’s energy transition............................................................49 Annexes.............................................................................................................69 EA. CC BY 4.0.Energy Policy ReviewPage | 3 Executive summary policy council, advises the government on targets and policies, and reviews progresson mitigation and adaptation each year. In 2022, the government placed an emphasison energy security and announced the introduction of nuclear power and other low-carbon energy sources. In 2025, a new organisation, the Ministry of Climate, Energy EA. CC BY 4.0.Energy Policy ReviewPage | 4plans, which are updated on a cyclical basis.As much of Korea’s climate andenergy policy is set out in these non-binding plans, it may be vulnerable to political growing demand for air conditioning and data centres is resulting in a shift toward an electrified economy.Substantial investments in new, diverse sources ofelectricity supply alongside reliable and resilient network infrastructure will be needed.A well-functioning wholesale market for power can provide efficient signals to invest.Given the structure of the electricity market, which is dominated by the state-owned market regulator, with responsibility for modernising the wholesale electricity marketand redressing imbalances in the electricity retail market. It should oversee thetransition from the existing tariff retail regime to a transparent and market-basedpricing regime while protecting low-income households and vulnerable consumersfromenergy poverty.The regulator should deliver the effective unbundling of sources. Factors include the limited amount of available land, the large share offorested areas and high population density. Public opposition to energy infrastructure also leads to delays, resulting in higher costs, which are having a material impact onthe location of energy projects. To make public engagement meaningful, Korea EA. CC BY 4.0.Energy Policy ReviewPage | 5 Nuclear energy is one of the pillars of Korea’s long-term energy and climatestrategy, with a target for nuclear to provide a minimum of 30% of the energy mix in 2030.Today, 26 reactors of 26 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity provideabout a third of electricity. To support its goals, Korea has built a highly skilledworkforce in the nuclear energy sector, enabling the country to strengthen its positionas a global player. It exports its technology widely. Research and development (R&D) Low-emissionshydrogen is widely seen as a potential solution fordecarbonising hard-to-abate industrial sectors where alternatives are limited.Korea was one of the first countries to launch a hydrogen roadmap (in 2019), whichfocuses mainly on the transport, buildings and power sectors. Nonetheless, theadoption of low-emissions hydrogen is some way off and Korea must overcomeseveral challenges if it is to fully realise its potential. Korea should clarify the policy instruments needed to increase use of hydrogen in hard-to-abate sectors such asindustry and heavy-duty transport. It should also create clear and transparent rules (ESS) and develop non-lithium, long-duration energy storage technologies. Usinglarge-scale batteries, Korea aims to stabilise the grid during periods of high demandwhile smoothing out fluctuations in VRE supply. While using battery storage can addcapacity to the system, investment in the technology is limited, as battery storage isunable to participate in the wholesale electricity market, offer ancillary services orcontribute to grid congestion management. Korea should establish a clear roadmapfor the expansion of the centralised contract market to the mainland based on lessonslearnt from recent trial projects on Jeju Island. 4 5Increase the number of credits auctioned in K-ETS, establish a market stability 7Create a national industrial complex for demonstration of small modularreactors. Hydrogen in Korea’s energy transitionFocus area 8Prioritise the efficient production, conversion, transport and use of hydrogen inapplications with high emissions reduction potential. the development and operation of hydrogen infrastructure. Energy storage technologies 10Accelerate the rollout of a centralised contract market for energy storageservices t