Government Reviews Adding Large Nuclear Power Plants to the 12th Basic Electricity Plan

The government is reviewing a plan to reflect additional nuclear power plant construction in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, taking into account the increase in power demand resulting from largescale industrial projects such as the southwestern semiconductor cluster. On the 3rd, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sunghwan said in a radio interview that, in order to ensure a stable power supply needed for the expansion of the semiconductor industry, the government should swiftly review whether to build additional nuclear power plants. He explained that expanding renewable energy alone would make it difficult to meet all 24hour power demand. The 12th Basic Plan is a longterm plan covering electricity generation and supply through 2040. Previously, the overall committee projected that electricity consumption and peak power demand in 2040 would increase significantly compared with now, and the government plans to further revise the demand outlook by reflecting the three major megaprojects.