Coal Plant Fought by K-Pop Fans Fires Up in South Korea

Heesu Lee
Thu, 16 May 2024


(Bloomberg) -- A coal-fired power project in South Korea that drew major opposition from environmentalists and K-Pop fans is beginning operations this week.

Samcheok Blue Power Co.’s facility started commercial operations Friday, according to the company. The facility — South Korea’s seventh-largest coal plant — is close to Maengbang beach, the site of an iconic photo shoot for the sleeve of BTS’s 2021 hit song Butter and now a pilgrimage site for fans.

South Korea has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2018 levels by 2030 and is targeting phasing out coal power by 2050, though it’s making little progress toward those goals, Global Energy Monitor said in a report last month.

Read More: BTS Fans Are Fighting Big Coal to Save Beach Made Famous by Band

The addition of new coal capacity highlights the country’s difficulties in shifting toward solar and wind, a factor that’s posed hurdles for businesses seeking cleaner energy, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and Hyundai Motor Co.

Coal was the nation’s largest source of electricity in 2022, at almost a third of the total, according to data compiled by BloombergNEF. The polluting fuel is forecast to provide about 20% of generation by the end of the decade.

The Samcheok coal station, which has a combined capacity of 2.1 gigawatts, began operating one of its two units Friday, according to a company official.