Due to Nuclear–free Energy Policy

South Korea is going against the global trend of greenhouse gas reduction as it is cutting back on nuclear power generation.

The global total nuclear power generation has edged up whereas South Korea is reducing its dependence on nuclear power generation. South Korea is going against the global trend of greenhouse gas reduction by cutting back on nuclear power generation while many other countries are building more nuclear power plants for cheaper electricity and greenhouse gas reduction.

According to the World Nuclear Association’s recent report, the global total nuclear power generation capacity increased by 2 GWe to 392 GWe last year. One GWe is approximately equivalent to the power generation capacity of one nuclear power plant. In 2017, the electric power generated by nuclear power plants increased 29 TWh to 2,506 TWh, showing an increase for the fifth consecutive year.

At present, a total of 448 nuclear power plants are in operation worldwide with 59 under construction. Those under construction include 40 in Asia, 11 in Eastern Europe and Russia, four in Western and Central Europe, two in North America and two in Latin America. The 40 in Asia include 18 in China.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s nuclear power generation is on the decrease. According to Statistics Korea, it fell from 161.99 million kW to 148.42 million kW from 2016 to 2017 and an increase in coal-based power generation resulted in extra 20 million tons of greenhouse gas during the same period.

These days, countries around the world are trying to export more nuclear power plants unlike South Korea. For example, China signed a contract in May last year to build two nuclear power plants in Argentina and signed another one in November to build one in Pakistan. Likewise, Russia is building atomic power stations in Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Hungary, India, Iran and Turkey.

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