Photo by Mita 64 on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 17 November 2025, at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, South Korea joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance and officially committed for the first time to stop building new unabated coal plants and to phase out existing ones. The pledge came months after fossil fuels supplied less than half of the country's electricity in a month for the first time on record.
Key facts
40 of South Korea's 61 coal power plants are confirmed to close by 2040; dates for the other 21 are to be set after public consultation.
Coal's share of South Korean electricity fell from 42.5% in 2015 to 30.5% in 2024.
In April 2025, fossil fuels supplied 49.5% of South Korea's power, the first month below half, as coal hit a record low 18.5% share.
Solar reached a record 9.2% share that month, and nuclear supplied 36.2%.
Why it matters
South Korea is a major industrial economy that imports almost all of its coal, making it one of the world's largest coal importers. A firm exit plan from such a large coal user cuts emissions and import bills, and signals to other Asian economies that a coal phase-out is possible.
Worth noting
Only about two thirds of the coal fleet has a confirmed closure date, and several coal units began running only in the last few years. Ember notes South Korea still trails other advanced economies in deploying wind, solar and batteries.