South Korea plans to raise renewable energy’s share of electricity generation to at least 20% by 2030 as it seeks to reduce dependence on imported energy and meet increasing power demand from advanced industries.
The country’s Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, Kim Sung-hwan, presented the plan to the Cabinet.
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The minister set a target of expanding renewable energy capacity to 100GW by 2030, with solar and wind power expected to drive the increase.
Renewable sources made up 11.4% of the country’s electricity generation last year.
The government also plans to close 60 coal-fired power plants by 2040 as part of a wider shift in the energy mix.
Alongside changes in power generation, the strategy includes support for technologies such as solar modules, battery energy storage systems and wind turbines. The plan also covers reductions in industrial emissions.
The government will support the steel sector’s effort to commercialise hydrogen-based iron production by 2037, while encouraging petrochemical companies to electrify naphtha cracking facilities.
In transport, the government wants electric and hydrogen vehicles to account for 40% of new car sales by 2030.
Kim Sung-hwan said: “We will swiftly implement the energy transition plan to make sure that South Korea remains resilient to external shocks such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
In January 2026, Kim Sung-hwan said the government will move ahead with the 11th Basic Power Supply Plan, which includes two nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 2,800MW-electrical (MWe), due for completion in 2037 and 2038.
The plan also sets out the deployment of small modular reactors with a total capacity of 700MWe by 2035.
