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86 publications
Electrification Pathways for Yeosu Petrochemical Complex: Strategies for a Clean Industrial Transition
Korea’s petrochemical industry is undergoing structural transformation driven by global oversupply, and the Yeosu Petrochemical Complex faces serious threats to its competitiveness and viability. This issue brief proposes electrification pathways utilizing distributed energy special zones and virtual power plants, focusing on electric furnaces and industrial high-temperature heat pumps as core technologies for replacing fossil fuel combustion with renewable electricity. It examines renewable energy supply conditions, power procurement structures, and institutional and infrastructure prerequisites required to accelerate the transition toward a clean chemical industrial complex.
RPS Reform: Is the Amendment to the Renewable Energy Act Aligned with the Government’s Policy Objectives? : A Commentary on Bill No. 15929
This issue brief assesses whether the proposed amendment to replace the RPS with an auction-based system aligns with the government’s policy objectives. It finds that the new design largely retains the existing RPS structure, limiting its effectiveness. As a result, most policy objectives are unlikely to be achieved or only partially achieved.
A Proposal for Improving the Preliminary Feasibility Study Framework for Offshore Wind Marshalling Ports
Expanding offshore wind deployment requires not only installation vessels but also the preemptive development of supporting marshalling port infrastructure. However, only one port in Korea—Mokpo New Port—currently has practical installation capabilities, raising concerns about potential bottlenecks as deployment scales up. In particular, the preliminary feasibility study (PFS) process required for port development does not adequately reflect the role and operational characteristics of marshalling ports. This issue paper reviews the current PFS guidelines from the perspective of offshore wind marshalling ports and proposes improvements for more realistic benefit assessment.
Defining Low-Carbon Steel in Korea : Technology Pathways under the K-Steel Act
K-Steel Act marks the first policy framework to institutionally support the low-carbon transition of Korea’s steel industry, with the definition and standards of low-carbon steel emerging as a key issue. In the global market, benchmarks such as the EU CBAM, the First Movers Coalition, and SteelZero are taking shape, while conventional BF-BOF routes struggle to meet these standards. Practical transition pathways include the BF–EAF hybrid route, HyREX, and DRI–EAF, each facing challenges related to emissions performance, cost, and supply chains. A multi-technology strategy, rather than reliance on a single pathway, is required, with DRI–EAF positioned as a key option for early market entry. The K-Steel Act should clarify these technological pathways and support an integrated transition strategy aligned with power grid and hydrogen infrastructure development.
A Big Picture for the Inverter-Dominated Future Grid - Advances in Inverter Technology and Grid Stability
As renewable energy deployment expands, power systems are experiencing various forms of instability, including reduced inertia, voltage control limitations, and resonance issues. This report analyzes how successive generations of inverter technologies affect system stability and outlines the key challenges and technical directions for future power grids.
Coal Phase-Out Watcher NEXT Electricity Outlook 2025 - Part 2
This study presents an optimized coal phase-out roadmap that enables coal-fired power plants to maintain economic viability during their remaining operational period. By doing so, it aims to reduce uncertainties and financial risks associated with coal plant operations and contribute to accelerating the transition toward renewable energy.
Climate Risk-Based Prevention : An Imperative for Climate-Ready Governance
As the climate crisis accelerates, the nature of disasters is undergoing a qualitative transformation. The intensity of traditional disasters such as heatwaves and wildfires is increasing, while new risks—including flash droughts and compound disasters—are occurring more frequently, exposing the limitations of existing disaster response systems. In Korea, the average annual economic damage from natural disasters over the past five years (2019–2023) reached KRW 1.375 trillion, a sharp increase compared to KRW 198 billion during the previous five-year period (2014–2018). A fundamental cause of this escalation lies in the current disaster management framework’s reliance on historical data. Ahead of the planned release of the 4th National Climate Crisis Response Plan at the end of 2025, this issue brief identifies key policy priorities for shifting toward a prevention-centered disaster management paradigm.
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[Column] How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Range-Based NDC Targets
The government has finalized its 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as a 53–61% reduction from 2018 levels. However, the lower-bound–oriented approach is viewed as prioritizing industrial burdens over scientific evidence. A range-type target risks driving administrative action toward the lower end, leaving the upper target as a symbolic declaration. To ensure industrial competitiveness and policy credibility, institutional improvements—such as setting fiscal and R&D plans based on the upper bound and introducing incentives for overachievement—are needed.
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives through Transferability : A Quantitative Analysis
To enhance the export competitiveness of companies facing pressure to achieve RE100, there is an urgent need to promote policies that expand renewable energy procurement. However, the current investment tax credit scheme remains ineffective due to its low credit rate and structural constraints. This issue paper recommends increasing the investment tax credit rate, allowing the transfer of tax benefits to companies that sign direct PPAs as assignees, and introducing additional credits for the use of domestically manufactured products and local community participation.
Writing the Next Chapter for Korea's Renewable Energy Market
This report focuses on advancing the structural sophistication of the system, improving financial accessibility, and expanding market flexibility to accelerate renewable energy deployment in Korea. As corporate RE100 implementation methods diversify, there is a growing need for portfolio-based procurement strategies rather than reliance on a single approach. Accordingly, greater policy flexibility and institutional refinement have become essential. This report proposes specific improvements in four areas.