ID :
194658
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 04:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/194658
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea's dependence on oil to drop further
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- The proportion of oil to South Korea's total energy consumption will further drop to nearly one-third in 2015, a state think tank said Wednesday, as the country moves to increase its use of clean, renewable energy.
The country's use of petroleum is forecast to grow an annual average of 3.3 percent to 307.19 million tons of oil equivalent (TOE) in 2015, according to the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI).
The amount, however, will represent 35.4 percent of the country's total energy consumption, down from the current 39.9 percent. The proportion of petroleum in South Korea's energy use has steadily dwindled since it peaked at 63 percent in 1994.
"There have been incidents since the mid 2000s where electricity and natural gas replaced the use of petroleum due to the low cost of electricity and the government's move to reduce the country's dependence on petroleum," the KEEI said in a report. "Such a shift will gather more speed in the future."
The report said the country's use of coal will also drop from the current 29.1 percent to 28.1 percent in 2015, while that of liquefied natural gas is expected to grow from the current 15.9 percent to 17.8 percent.
It said the amount of power supplied by the country's nuclear plants will reach 14 percent of all energy consumption in 2015, up from the current 12.1 percent.
South Korea currently has 21 nuclear reactors and is moving to build 11 new reactors by 2030, when the proportion of nuclear energy is expected to reach 28 percent of the entire energy supply.
The report did not say how much energy will be replaced by other renewable energy, such as solar power, but the government earlier announced a new regulation called a renewable portfolio standard.
The regulation requires all government offices and state-run enterprises with office space of more than 1,000 square meters to replace 10 percent of their total energy needs with power from renewable sources from next year, and 20 percent by 2020.
The country's use of petroleum is forecast to grow an annual average of 3.3 percent to 307.19 million tons of oil equivalent (TOE) in 2015, according to the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI).
The amount, however, will represent 35.4 percent of the country's total energy consumption, down from the current 39.9 percent. The proportion of petroleum in South Korea's energy use has steadily dwindled since it peaked at 63 percent in 1994.
"There have been incidents since the mid 2000s where electricity and natural gas replaced the use of petroleum due to the low cost of electricity and the government's move to reduce the country's dependence on petroleum," the KEEI said in a report. "Such a shift will gather more speed in the future."
The report said the country's use of coal will also drop from the current 29.1 percent to 28.1 percent in 2015, while that of liquefied natural gas is expected to grow from the current 15.9 percent to 17.8 percent.
It said the amount of power supplied by the country's nuclear plants will reach 14 percent of all energy consumption in 2015, up from the current 12.1 percent.
South Korea currently has 21 nuclear reactors and is moving to build 11 new reactors by 2030, when the proportion of nuclear energy is expected to reach 28 percent of the entire energy supply.
The report did not say how much energy will be replaced by other renewable energy, such as solar power, but the government earlier announced a new regulation called a renewable portfolio standard.
The regulation requires all government offices and state-run enterprises with office space of more than 1,000 square meters to replace 10 percent of their total energy needs with power from renewable sources from next year, and 20 percent by 2020.
