Korea's renewable energy plan must prioritize energy security
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has exposed Korea’s strategic vulnerability to imported fossil fuels. Korea imports 84 percent of its energy, and virtually all of it arrives by sea through contested maritime chokepoints. Its vulnerability to external disruption, a longstanding risk, has become more apparent and less acceptable. Soon, Korea will announce K-GX, its strategy for turning climate…
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted South Korea's susceptibility to imported fossil fuels. The country imports 84 percent of its energy, and most of it arrives via sea through potentially dangerous maritime chokepoints. This vulnerability to external disruptions, a long-standing concern, has become increasingly troubling.
South Korea is set to unveil K-GX, its plan to transform climate pledges into economic expansion, presenting a chance to mitigate this risk. During my tenure overseeing military installations and related energy policies at the U.S. Department of Defense, I had to prepare for power outages. Our bases needed reliable electricity to carry out their missions, and we had to anticipate grid failures.
Likewise, South Korea should anticipate the possibility of supply line disruptions. My predicament was akin to the one South Korea now confronts - how to minimize exposure to external energy shocks. At the Department of Defense, we had various strategies for energy security, including diesel generators and solar battery systems. However, resilience was not the only consideration. We also had to contend with other constraints.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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