Discussion on Expanding the Use of Nuclear and Other Carbon-Free Energy at the APEC Energy Ministers' Meeting

Failure to Reach Agreement on Specific Decarbonization Targets

At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Ministers' Meeting, discussions were held on expanding the decarbonization of the power sector using carbon-free energy sources such as nuclear power, hydrogen, and renewable energy. However, no agreement was reached on setting specific targets for decarbonization.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 17th that the 13th APEC Energy Ministers' Meeting was held in Seattle, USA, on the 15th and 16th (local time).

According to the Ministry, the meeting featured active discussions among 21 economies on three main agendas: ▲ expanding decarbonization of the power sector using carbon-free energy sources such as nuclear power, hydrogen, and renewable energy ▲ efforts to reduce methane emissions from fossil fuels ▲ and energy transition through fair and inclusive methods.

Although the United States, as the chair country, has continuously led working-level agenda consultations, no consensus was reached on setting specific decarbonization targets due to differing views among member economies.

Cheon Young-gil, Director General of the Energy Policy Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who attended as the government representative, emphasized the need to expand the use of 'Carbon-free Energy' tailored to each country's circumstances, including not only renewables but also nuclear power and hydrogen in both the industrial and power sectors during the power sector decarbonization session. As part of this, Director General Cheon officially proposed Korea's 'Carbon-free Energy Utilization Promotion Program' as an APEC fund project starting in the second half of this year and requested the interest and support of member economies.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of this meeting, Director General Cheon exchanged views on the necessity of utilizing carbon-free energy and policy coordination through talks with the United States, Taiwan, and others locally. In particular, during a meeting with Microsoft, he welcomed investment in domestic data centers and requested additional investments in data centers, focusing on regions rich in renewable energy.

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