Fine dust raises skepticism on nuclear policy
An ongoing case of fine dust pollution has reignited a debate over President Moon Jae-in’s controversial anti-nuclear policy as Korea has become more dependent on coaland oil-fired power plants, one of the main culprits behind deteriorating air quality, according to experts and industry officials, Wednesday.
Proponents of nuclear energy argue that fine dust and other pollution problems stem partly from the anti-nuclear policy, calling on the Moon administration to change its stance to enable Asia’s fourth-largest economy to generate more electricity from nuclear power plants.
Despite the country’s increasing reliance on fossil fuels to produce power, Moon and his advisers have been rejecting the growing demand for a policy change, saying they will continue to cut the portion of nuclear power.
Last weekend when Korea suffered its worst fine dust pollution in years, Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) raised the issue by stating the government needed to consider resuming construction of the Shin Hanul 3 and 4 reactors, and closing aging coal-fired and nuclear plants nationwide.
The construction of the reactors, which are in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province, was halted early last year as part of the government’s policy to phase out nuclear power from the country’s energy supply.
Song’s remarks dealt a heavy blow to the government and the ruling party’s post-nuclear campaign, as several other DPK lawmakers echoed similar opinions as the four-term lawmaker.
Han Chul-soo, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, also lent his voice to the call.
During President Moon’s meeting with business leaders Tuesday, Han said nuclear facility firms and their suppliers were in financial trouble due to the government’s post-nuclear policy.
Despite the growing calls, Moon and his government are keeping their stance. To Han’s remark, Moon replied that there would be “no halt or suspension” in the country’s energy policy transition, because no national power supply shortages are expected over the long term.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy was also in line with Moon’s policy.
In the Eighth Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity Supply and Demand — the country’s basic roadmap for its electricity supply up to 2031 — the ministry said it planned to lower the country’s reliance on nuclear power from 30.3 percent in 2017 to 23.9 percent in 2030.
Since the plan also lowers coal’s share from 45.4 percent to 36.1 percent during the same period, the government is aiming to cover any shortage with renewable energy sources and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
However, experts point out that LNG is not as clean as the government thinks, while renewable energy still has unresolved shortcomings.
“By volume of fine dust emission, we can say an LNG plant emits one third that of a coal-fired plant,” said Jeong Yong-hoon, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). “However we have to be aware that LNG plants in Korea are located near heavily populated areas, while coal plants are farther away.”
According to Jeong, the concentration of fine dust dissipates as it moves through the air. Given the relative locations of coal power plants and LNG plants, the actual air pollution affecting the capital and the inconvenience citizens will feel will not be that different.
According to the Korea Power Exchange, Korea has 238 LNG power plants, 157 of which are located around Seoul and Incheon, and in Gyeonggi Province. Large southern cities of Busan and Ulsan also have 14 LNG plants each. Since LNG plants are mostly cogeneration plants, which generate electricity and useful heat at the same time, they are located near their customers.