Two out of Three Citizens Support Maintaining or Expanding the Share of Nuclear Power Generation

[Asia Economy Reporter Su-yeon Woo] As the government is promoting an energy transition policy to expand the share of renewable energy generation, it has been revealed that two out of three citizens believe the share of nuclear power generation should be maintained at the current level or increased.

On the 28th, the Federation of Korean Industries (hereinafter FKI) announced the results of a perception survey on the energy transition policy conducted on 1,019 citizens aged 18 and over. According to the survey, 66.4% of the public responded that the share of nuclear power generation should be maintained or expanded, and 63.4% opposed the increase in electricity rates to expand renewable energy.

While the public agreed with the propositions that the share of fossil fuel power generation should be reduced (73.6%) and the share of renewable energy generation should be expanded (53.5%), responses to reducing the share of nuclear power generation were negative. Responses in favor of expanding the share of nuclear power generation were 39.8%, and those for maintaining the current level were 26.6%, totaling 66.4% for either expansion or maintenance.

Opinion/Data on the Share of Nuclear Power Generation = Federation of Korean Industries

When asked about the speed of implementing the energy transition policy, 38.3% of respondents said it was fast, 28.8% said it was appropriate, and 32.9% said it was slow. Regarding the most serious side effects (externalities) caused by each power source, 50.2% identified external effects from thermal power generation (greenhouse gases and fine dust) as the most severe. External effects from renewable energy generation (environmental destruction and unstable power supply) were reported by 28.5%, which is higher than the 21.3% who cited external effects from nuclear power generation (accident risk and waste generation).

Meanwhile, 63.4% of respondents opposed the increase in electricity rates to expand renewable energy. Among those who supported the electricity rate increase, the most common response regarding how much additional monthly electricity fee they were willing to pay was 1,000 to 2,000 KRW, at 28.7%.

Yoo Hwan-ik, Director of Corporate Policy at FKI, stated, "The results of this survey show that public awareness of nuclear power, which emits no greenhouse gases or fine dust, has improved as the importance of carbon neutrality has recently emerged. Considering Korea’s reality, where the share of thermal power generation is high and the potential for renewable energy generation is insufficient, nuclear power should be actively considered as a means of carbon reduction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.