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Along with the interest in climate change, discussions about carbon neutrality are increasing. The Korean government also announced that it would achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Experts noted that achieving this requires a change of tone for post-nuclear power plants.
Carbon dioxide is considered a key cause of climate change. Nicholas Stern, former vice president of the World Bank, predicted in his 2006 Stern Report that “if humanity does not work to prevent climate change, we will experience a recession comparable to that of the early 20th century after the world war and the great economic depression. “.
Now, carbon power generation may seem cheap, but some analyzes say it is not. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is based on the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) in the United States as of 2022, considering not just simple costs like construction, fuel and operating costs, but also external costs such as environmental pollution, stability and aftercare. Analysis) was calculated. Based on this, power generation costs are on the order of wind power ($ 52.2), gas complex ($ 56.5), solar power ($ 66.8), nuclear power ($ 99 , 1) and coal ($ 140).
The Korean government has also declared carbon neutral to make actual emissions ‘0’ by taking steps to absorb emitted carbon dioxide by 2050. Currently, Korea’s annual carbon emissions are approximately 700 million tons.
Specifically, it was decided to discuss later in what areas, how much and how to reduce carbon. However, it was decided to create a climate response fund for carbon neutrality in 2050. The fund will be used to support companies and workers, such as coal-fired power plants, petrochemical vehicles, etc., which are inevitably affected by the reduction of carbon emissions and to expand low-carbon businesses.
Experts note that considering the reality of Korea, it is necessary to reconsider the post-nuclear power generation policy for carbon neutrality. One of the keys to achieving carbon neutrality is whether electricity supply and demand can be stabilized while reducing high-carbon coal-fired power generation. However, it is difficult to completely replace coal-based power generation with new, renewable energy, such as solar power, in terms of stability of power production and the cost of power generation. The National Conference on Climate Environment, an organization under the direct control of the president, also expressed the view that “there is now a government policy, but it is difficult to talk about carbon neutrality in 2050, as it is fixed and unchanged” .
Reporter Kang Young-yeon [email protected]
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