Ministry of Environment Announces Carbon Neutral Implementation Plan… Establishment of Strategies for Each Sector
Expansion of floating solar power and offshore wind power and construction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure
[에너지신문] The Ministry of Environment announced the ‘2021 Carbon Neutral Implementation Plan’ to achieve 2050 carbon neutrality. The expansion of renewable energy and pollution-free vehicles is a key keyword.
According to the announcement of the Ministry of Environment, a sophisticated greenhouse gas reduction scenario will be established by June to suggest the direction of 2050 carbon neutrality.
To this end, a technical working group centered on national research institutes in charge of the Greenhouse Gas Comprehensive Information Center is formed, and a number of scenarios for 2050 carbon neutrality are prepared by analyzing the potential reduction. In addition, a permanent communication window with industry, civil society, and local governments will be established, opinions will be collected, and the scenario will be confirmed through a national debate.
Based on the carbon-neutral scenario, a’core policy promotion strategy’ for each sector of the 2050 carbon-neutral promotion strategy is also established with relevant ministries. The Ministry of Environment plans to establish strategies with relevant ministries for 11 out of 31 implementation tasks.
Representatively, the’transportation strategy for future vehicles’ presents a vision for 100% conversion of pollution-free vehicles by 2050 through the supply and innovation of pollution-free vehicles, substitution of pollution-free vehicles for internal combustion locomotives, and a significant expansion of the charging infrastructure for non-polluting vehicles. The final strategy is planned for the second half of the year through research services and expert forums.
In addition, the’Road Map for Circular Economy Innovation’ is a mid- to long-term step-by-step implementation plan that includes management of the entire process of resource circulation, inducement of eco-friendliness of enterprises to spread the implementation of the circular economy, and achievement of a circular economy by sector such as water and energy.
The core policy implementation strategy is a long-term strategy aimed at 2050, predicting the future and setting directions. To this end, the Ministry of Environment organizes and operates the’Carbon Neutral Research Forum (tentative name)’ with specialized organizations such as the Korea Environmental Policy and Evaluation Institute (KEI).
In addition, the ‘2030 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC)’ will be raised. Based on the 2050 carbon-neutral scenario, the level was determined through consultations and social discussions with relevant ministries, and it was aimed at submitting to the UN within this government’s term of office.
▶ Keywords for carbon neutrality,’energy conversion’ and’expansion of pollution-free car’
The Ministry of Environment promotes sector-specific tasks such as energy conversion, expansion of pollution-free vehicle supply, and infrastructure construction based on a robust implementation system such as scenarios and key implementation strategies.
First, for carbon neutrality, we will expand the supply of renewable energy using environmental resources, such as revitalizing floating solar power, hydrothermal energy, and offshore wind power. A 147.4MW floating photovoltaic development project will be developed for 8 projects in 5 dams including the Hapcheon Dam, and hydrothermal energy development pilot projects (8 locations) will be promoted for each type of source water. The five dams (Hapcheon, Gunwi, Chungju, Soyang River, Imha) aim to supply 2.1GW of floating solar power by 2030 and 1GW of hydrothermal power by 2040.
In addition, to revitalize offshore wind power, the system for the entire process of environmental impact assessment, from location discovery → evaluation consultation → follow-up management, will be improved. To this end, the Ministry of Environment, which formed the’wind power environment evaluation team’ last month, plans to provide consulting services for the entire process of wind power development.
In addition, it will support the installation of renewable energy facilities in basic environmental facilities such as water purification plants (68 units, KRW 14.2 billion), expand biogas production using organic waste resources such as food and livestock manure, and promote hydrogen supply using them.
By 2024, 13 digestion tanks for the use of sewage waste will be improved, and bio-energy facilities will be introduced at more than 20 of the 29 livestock manure treatment facilities being installed. Food biogasification treatment, which is 13% as of 2019, will be expanded to 30% by 2025.
It also laid out a long-term strategy for carbon neutrality in the transportation sector in 2050, such as achieving the era of 300,000 pollution-free vehicles and building convenient charging infrastructure for pollution-free vehicles.
The plan is to raise the goal of supplying low-emission vehicles this year to 18%, and achieve the era of accumulated 300,000 vehicles this year through mandatory purchase of zero-emission vehicles (80%) in the public sector.
With the aim of establishing a convenient pollution-free vehicle charging infrastructure, we will build more than 180 hydrogen charging stations within this year through special cases for discovering and licensing new sites for hydrogen charging stations, and building rapid electric vehicle chargers at mobile stations such as rest areas and gas stations to eliminate charging blind spots. In particular, the’transportation strategy for future vehicles’ will be prepared in the second half of this year, and it will be confirmed through discussions between relevant ministries.
Next, we will promote the preemptive realization of carbon neutrality for public institutions (public buildings). The plan is to allow public institutions to proactively announce their carbon-neutral initiatives.
In order to implement the declaration of carbon neutrality, we establish a carbon neutral model suitable for the characteristics of institutions such as public buildings, public facilities, and public vehicles, and support the design and installation thereof. In addition, it plans to preemptively apply green technologies such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) to public buildings and induce them to spread to private facilities.
Lastly, we will strengthen the management of the entire process of waste, leading to reduction of production and consumption → expansion of recycling → prohibition of direct landfill, and prepare a step-by-step implementation plan (roadmap) for the transition to a circular economy society in 2050.
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