As eco-friendly policies are being strengthened all over the world recently, Korea is also implementing policies to eliminate nuclear power and renewable energy. Due to this, the demand for solar power generation is increasing, and the installation of solar power generation facilities is increasing in various places in Korea.
However, it also has many side effects. First, the dependence on China for solar power is increasing. In China, solar modules are sold at a lower price than domestic products, and their share in the domestic market is increasing. Polysilicon, a material used in solar panels, is also mostly made in China.
In addition, environmental problems that occur when solar power generation facilities that are eco-friendly are installed in forests and farmlands are also being raised. Farmland is also being eroded by the installation of solar power generation facilities, and in forests, intact trees were cut down and mountain slopes were cut, raising concerns about the occurrence of landslides. Floating solar power also has concerns that the scenery of the reservoir may be damaged and the flow of water flowing through the wind may decrease due to the solar power generation facility installed in the middle of the reservoir, which may cause problems.
In addition to this, concerns about rising electricity rates are growing. If eco-friendly energy fails to completely replace existing energy and the policy to phase out nuclear power is rapidly pursued, it may lead to an increase in electricity rates.
In fact, in Spain, a representative eco-friendly energy country in Europe, electricity rates in October of this year more than tripled compared to October of last year due to a recent surge in natural gas prices.
In this situation, concerns are spreading that the government is pushing the nuclear phase-out policy unreasonably. It is also pointed out that the competitiveness of the domestic industry may be reduced.
The steel industry is considered one of the industries most affected by electricity rates, and the burden from rising electricity rates increases, and the difficulties are bound to increase as the investment due to carbon neutrality overlaps.
Within the industry, it is necessary to gather the opinions of each industry, and the government is demanding to revise the government’s abrupt National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC) target and the plan for carbon neutrality. It is hoped that the government will collect the opinions of the industry and reflect them in its policies to establish a more realistic plan.
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