An analysis found that to push ahead with the three mega projects (AI data centers, semiconductor clusters, physical AI), an additional 38.4 gigawatts (GW) and about 260 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity a year will be needed by 2041. That is equivalent to 43.6% of last year's total domestic power generation of 596 TWh.
The analysis was presented at a policy forum on the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand held by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment on the 20th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Seoul.
Park U-yeong, head of the Energy Transition Policy Research Division at the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI), who gave the keynote presentation, said, "Such large-scale electricity must be supplied as carbon-free power for 10 to 15 years." Demand for AI data centers was estimated at 18.4 GW and 121 TWh, and demand for semiconductor industrial complexes at 20 GW and 140 TWh.
Deputy Minister Park pointed out that even if solar and wind capacity is increased to 100 GW by 2030 in line with the government's target, annual generation would reach only 150 TWh, saying, "Even if we achieve 100 GW of renewables, we will not be able to meet the additional demand generated by the mega projects."
He noted that semiconductor plants and data centers need power around the clock, but solar and wind generate only during the day or intermittently, causing a temporal "mismatch," and that while renewable facilities are concentrated in Honam and Jeju, new demand is clustered in Yongin, Gyeonggi, creating a spatial mismatch as well. He suggested that "expanding renewables is a necessary condition for carbon neutrality, but not a sufficient one," and recommended diversifying power sources, including nuclear power.
Deputy Minister Park specifically proposed continued operation of nine nuclear reactors whose lifespans end by 2030, construction of two new reactors, and expansion of energy storage systems (ESS) and pumped-storage power, and defined liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a "bridge power source" with a cap on utilization rates. He stressed that between 2030 and 2035, alongside expanding commercial operation of offshore wind, the 12th Basic Plan should decide whether to add new nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs).
Minister Kim Seong-hwan of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said, "Electricity should be treated not as an auxiliary means for industry but as a national security asset," adding, "We will carefully reflect today's discussion in the 12th Basic Plan."