Government Considers Converting Early-Closed Coal Power Plants to SMRs... 10 Units to Be Used for National Security Power Sources

Professor Jinsu Kim of Hanyang University is presenting on the plan for early closure of coal-fired power plants at the 7th discussion session of the 12th Basic Electricity Supply and Demand Plan held on the 18th. Photo by Heejong Kang

The government is reviewing a plan to convert coal-fired power plants, scheduled for early closure by 2040, to small modular reactors (SMRs). In addition, up to 10 coal-fired power plants will not be completely decommissioned but instead utilized as security power sources.

At the public discussion session for the 12th Basic Electricity Supply and Demand Plan, held by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment at the Korea Electric Power Corporation's South Seoul Headquarters on September 18, Professor Jinsu Kim of Hanyang University announced a “2040 Coal Power Abolition Policy Plan” that outlines these measures.

According to the plan, 39 coal-fired units whose service life will expire by 2038 will be replaced with liquefied natural gas (LNG) or pumped-storage power. For the remaining 21 units (19.1 GW) with operational lifespans extending to 2040, the government plans either early decommissioning or to utilize them as security power sources.

Currently, 60 coal-fired units are in operation. Among these, 19 units are scheduled for conversion to LNG power by 2030. Of the remaining 41 units, 8 units (4 at the Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Complex, 2 at the Honam Semiconductor Industrial Complex, and 2 in the metropolitan area) will be converted to LNG power plants by 2036.

Professor Kim explained, “All 27 units (13.6 GW) with a 30-year design lifespan that comes due by 2036 will be simultaneously replaced by LNG power plants, and the four units not yet finalized will be strategically relocated in consideration of megaprojects.”

Accordingly, Yeongheung coal-fired units 1 and 2 will be deployed as LNG power stations in the metropolitan area to strengthen regional power supply, and Dangjin units 5 and 6 are to be deployed as LNG plants in the Honam region, considering the southwest megaproject.

The 12 coal-fired units scheduled for decommissioning between 2037 and 2038 will be replaced by pumped-storage power. Professor Kim stated, “We plan to strategically substitute these units using a total of 7.5 GW capacity from 13 planned pumped-storage projects.”

The 21 coal-fired units whose operational life will last up to 2040 will be converted to battery energy storage systems (BESS) and SMRs. Professor Kim explained, “Early closure power producers will be given priority in new power generation business tenders, such as BESS. Conversion to SMRs will be limited to cases where there is local community acceptance.”

Up to 10 coal-fired units will first be used as security power sources, then phased out. Security power sources will not participate in routine power generation, but will act as reserve resources to be mobilized in times of emergency, thus securing the necessary reserves for power supply stability. This is intended to allow rapid response in case of emergencies such as the recent crisis in the Middle East.

Professor Kim said, “Designation of security power sources will be considered based on the performance and contribution of each plant to the grid. These will be operated on the premise of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) or other emissions reduction measures, and the retention of such security resources will be determined through regular evaluations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.