South Korea Pushes Renewable Energy, Targets 20% Electricity by 2030

Climate Minister Kim Sung-whan speaks during a parliamentary climate committee meeting in Seoul, South Korea. (Yonhap via Kyodo News)

South Korea has set a new target in the energy sector. By 2030, at least 20 percent of the country's electricity is targeted to come from renewable energy. This target is set to reduce dependence on energy imports while responding to the surge in electricity demand from advanced industries.

In the plan reported at a cabinet meeting, as quoted by Kyodo News, Tuesday, April 7, the South Korean government is targeting renewable energy capacity to reach 100 gigawatt by 2030. The path is to increase the share of solar and wind power plants.

This figure shows Seoul wants to move faster. Last year, renewable energy only accounted for 11.4 percent of the country's total electricity generation. That is, in the next five years, South Korea must pursue a not small leap.

Citing Kyodo News, the government also plans to gradually close 60 coal-fired power plants by 2040. At the same time, Seoul will expand the use of clean energy and promote green industries through technological support, ranging from solar modules, wind turbines, to battery-based energy storage systems.

The change does not stop in the electricity sector. The South Korean government will also help major industries change their business models to be more environmentally friendly. The steel industry, for example, is encouraged to commercialize hydrogen-based ironmaking technology by 2037. Meanwhile, the petrochemical industry is directed to electrify the naphtha cracking center.

In the automotive sector, the government targets 40 percent of new car sales in 2030 to come from electric or hydrogen vehicles.

According to a Kyodo News report, this move is also being prepared to strengthen South Korea's energy resilience against external shocks. Climate Minister Kim Sung-whan said the government would accelerate the implementation of the energy transition so that the country would be more resistant to external pressures, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

For South Korea, this is no longer just a matter of green targets. It's about energy security, industrial competitiveness, and how to survive in an increasingly unstable world.

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Climate Minister Kim Sung-whan speaks during a parliamentary climate committee meeting in Seoul, South Korea. (Yonhap via Kyodo News)