South Korean Government to ban life extensions on nuclear power plants

• 6 years ago (2017-08-30)
• David Flin

Asia 846 Nuclear 639

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The South Korean Government has announced that it will prohibit life extensions of old nuclear plants, and will cease construction of new nuclear facilities. In addition, in order to reduce pollutant emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, aging coal power plants will be shut down earlier than scheduled, and environmental facilities will be improved.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy reported the plan on August 29. In the report, the Government said that it will expand the proportion of renewable energy to 20 per cent by 2030 by shifting the method of supplying renewable energy. Specifically, the Government has said that it will shift the centre of the renewable energy supply sector from waste-to-energy to solar and wind power. The Government’s plan also includes the early elimination of seven old coal-fired power plants, and coal-fired power plants currently under construction will be converted into LNG-fired plants.