The possibility has increased that the 11th Basic Plan for Power Supply and Demand (Electricity Plan), which reduces the new construction plan for nuclear power plants from four to three, will be finalized on the 19th. The opposition parties have increased the likelihood of reaching an agreement on the three energy laws, prompting the opposition to decide to receive a report on the Electricity Plan in line with the processing of the energy laws. As the processing of legislation including the expansion of the power grid is carried out concurrently, it is expected that the implementation of the Electricity Plan will also become smoother.
According to the National Assembly on the 17th, members of the Industry, Trade, and Energy Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Industry Committee) are reviewing whether to present the 'Electricity Plan National Assembly Report' agenda at the general meeting on the 19th. This is because the Democratic Party has stated that it will receive the report if discussions on the three energy laws progress during the subcommittee meeting on the 17th.
Kim Won-yi, the opposition's secretary of the Industry Committee and a member of the Democratic Party, said, "If we reach a consensus on the three energy laws in the subcommittee, we plan to simultaneously vote on the energy laws and receive the Electricity Plan report at the general meeting on the 19th."
The three energy laws refer to: ▲ the 'Framework Act on the Expansion of the National Power Grid', which specifies support systems for the establishment of long-distance transmission networks and installation of transmission and transformation facilities; ▲ the 'Special Act on High-Level Radioactive Waste Management', which legally supports the construction and operation of storage facilities for 'high-level radioactive waste'; and ▲ the 'Special Act on Offshore Wind Power', which promotes offshore wind projects under government-led site planning methods and streamlines the permitting process.
In the 21st National Assembly, the ruling and opposition parties were unable to process the three energy laws due to some disagreements regarding the capacity of the radioactive waste storage facilities. However, it is reported that the likelihood of processing has increased in this subcommittee.
A National Assembly official said, "The Democratic Party has been requesting that 'the storage capacity of the radioactive waste storage facilities be limited to the amount that is predicted to occur over the design lifetime.'" He added, "The government has convinced the Democratic Party that this can be discussed 'even after the bill passes,' suggesting that the main issues regarding the three energy laws have been more or less sorted out." Kim Won-yi also mentioned, "We will try to come up with an agreement in this subcommittee as much as possible."
The Electricity Plan is a mid- to long-term energy policy that outlines the domestic power generation facility plans for the next 15 years. It is established every two years by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The 11th Electricity Plan, which contains plans from last year to 2038, will be effectively finalized as soon as it is reported to the National Assembly. The subsequent procedure requires only the review by the Electricity Policy Review Committee under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The Ministry completed its report preparations back in September last year. However, due to the impeachment situation that followed the state of emergency declared on December 3, the opposition has been rejecting the Electricity Plan report because it includes the new nuclear power plant construction plans, which are a major energy policy of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached.
Ultimately, the Ministry proposed a revision plan that reduces the number of newly constructed nuclear power plants by one and increases the amount of renewable energy generation by the same amount, seeking to persuade the opposition. If the National Assembly report is made, this revision plan is expected to be put forward. Once the Electricity Plan is finalized, procedures can commence for the construction of nuclear power plants, pumped-storage power plants, and the establishment of energy storage systems (ESS) primarily in the Honam region.
A government official noted, "It is commendable that the Electricity Plan and the three energy laws are processed simultaneously," stating, "It's not just a plan sitting idly; the necessary legislation for the plan is being prepared as well." Jung Dong-wook, a professor at Chung-Ang University and the chairman of the 11th Electricity Plan, has consistently emphasized since last year that "the success of the 11th Electricity Plan depends on the expansion of the power grid," stressing the need for the prompt passage of the three energy laws.