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JEONGSEON, South Korea: Rows of solar panels in Jeongseon County contrast with the surrounding gleaming facilities.
Jeongseon is the country of coal. Until the 1990s, there were as many as 500 coal mines in operation. Now there are three. Gangwon Province, of which Jeongseon is a part, provided the power that fueled South Korea’s postwar growth.
Over several years under different administrations, the South Korean government has made numerous promises to move from a heavy reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy, focusing on more environmentally friendly industries.
President Moon Jae-in did the same this year. He introduced what was called the Green New Deal, as part of a broader strategy to transform South Korea’s highly polluting industries into greener ones, while also lifting Asia’s fourth-largest economy out of the coronavirus-induced stupor.
READ: South Korea’s Green New Deal is ‘incredibly ambitious’ for one of the region’s top polluters
Under this ambitious plan, the government promised to invest around US $ 60 billion in renewable energy sources and smart grids. The goal was to more than double the share of renewables in South Korea’s energy mix from the current 15% to 40% by 2034.
MAKING GANGWON GREEN
Gangwon Province, with its abundant supply of coal, played an important role in the economic development of South Korea. But with the Green New Deal, things could be changing.
“We know that’s the direction to go,” Gangwon Governor Choi Moon-Soon said recently, on the sidelines of a forum in Jeongseon County. “We help make our nation what it is today with the coal mines of then. But now we want to bring fresh and clean air to this area ”.
Currently, there are hundreds of solar power plants and wind farms spread throughout the province. Counties have offered land for free, hoping to entice businesses to invest in renewable energy.
Wind turbines in Jeongseon County, South Korea, which had as many as 500 coal mines until the 1990s (Photo: Lim Yun Suk)
Korea Heating District Corporation is a company that took the step. In exchange for free use of land in Jeongseon County for 20 years, the company installed solar panels that generate enough electricity for the monthly needs of 200 homes.
For a county with a population of 37,000, the figure seems insignificant. But even small steps count, the company said.
“It is one of our projects that is in line with the government’s plan. We turn this abandoned land into this power plant and the profits from here are also shared with the residents, ”said Jang Won-seok, general manager of the company’s renewable energy division.
In addition to solar and wind power, Governor Choi also has plans to add hydrogen to the mix.
“By using the coal that we have from this area, we are creating technology to convert the coal into hydrogen,” he said.
“We are planning to have a plant soon and will continue to improve our technology to meet the changing needs of climate change.”
STILL TRUST COAL
The Green New Deal aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, a goal environmentalists say simply cannot be achieved if provinces like Gangwon only take incremental steps.
Data from 2017 showed that South Korea’s annual greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high of more than 700 million tons.
“There were several reasons for that increase,” said Kwon Woo-Hyun, coordinator for energy and climate change at the Korean Federation of Environmental Movements. “But the most important is that we have too many coal-fired power plants in operation.”
Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province used to host up to 500 coal mines until the 1990s. They provided the coal that powered a South Korea rebounding from the Korean War. Only three are still open today. (Photo: Lim Yun Suk)
Kwon is also baffled by the government’s seemingly conflicting goals.
“The main way to reduce greenhouse gases is to reduce the number of coal plants. But the government is granting more permits for coal plants to operate while saying it wants to tackle climate change, “he said.
There are about 60 coal plants in South Korea, and about half of them have life cycles ending in 2034. But the government also has plans for seven larger coal power plants by 2022.
READ: Jobs come first in South Korea’s ambitious ‘Green New Deal’ climate plan
South Korea, which imports almost all the oil it needs, has more than 20 nuclear reactors that generate about 19 percent of the country’s electricity. The government wants to reduce that to 10 percent by 2034.
Regarding that goal of increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix from 15% to 40% by 2034, Mr. Kwon from the Korean Federation of Environmental Movements remains hesitant.
“It is not known how the government plans to achieve that without taking drastic measures.”
Other environmentalists say incentives must be provided to stop the country from relying on coal.
Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province used to host up to 500 coal mines until the 1990s. They provided the coal that powered a South Korea rebounding from the Korean War. Only three are still open today. (Photo: Lim Yun Suk)
“We need to find alternatives and then get rid of the coal plants. We cannot just shut them down because they are all related to the livelihood of that area, “said Choi Yul, president of Korea Green Foundation.
“For example, we need to make sure the residents there can get alternative jobs and set up a system for them so that we can change quickly.”
