South Korea's New Electricity Plan Cosmetic Changes or a Breakthrough for the Climate?

Shortly after his inauguration in May 2017, the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, announced a major policy shift away from nuclear and coal power, and toward renewables and gas. This would have meant a complete U-turn from previous policies, considering that nuclear and coal produced 40% and 30% respectively of Korea's total electricity in 2016. The move responded to growing domestic and international safety concerns over nuclear power, alongside rising public hostility to coal power due to worsening air quality. In addition, coal burning is the main source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country. This issue had to be addressed in order to comply with South Korea's 37% emissions reduction target by 2030 compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) level of 851 Mt. Has South Korea embarked on this radical energy policy shift? The new administration adopted its 8. Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity Supply and Demand 2017-2031 (8. BPE) on 29 December 2017. The plan entails significant changes to the power mix. However, it is less ambitious than previously expected, reflecting the challenges of raising the share of renewables, reducing nuclear and coal power, while, at the same time, keeping power tariffs under control