South Korea Explores Potential for Geothermal Energy

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Current estimates suggest that the world is tapping into less than 5% of its geothermal energy potential. About 11 gigawatts (GW) of geothermal-derived energy are produced in 28 countries, but estimates put the global potential near 200 GW. The United States, which leads the world in geothermal development, has between 3 and 4 GW of installed geothermal capacity, although the country's geothermal potential is more than 40 GW. Following the United States is the Philippines at 1.9 GW. The Philippines plans to expand its geothermal capacity within the next two years. The Asia-Pacific region, including the Ring of Fire, has the largest potential for growth in the geothermal sector, although countries like Japan and China have been slow to develop geothermal power, despite its obvious advantages.

South Korea has been slow as well. About $1 million is directed at the peninsula's geothermal sector every year, but so far, no projects have broken ground. The use of geothermal activity in South Korea is not an outlandish concept; the country has historically utilized the earth's heat for hot springs and for heating and cooling. The Korean Peninsula does not have any active volcanoes, but annual earthquakes and numerous hot springs suggest low-level volcanic activity. Insufficient drilling technology and difficult geology are the biggest hindrances to South Korea's geothermal energy sector. Most geothermal drilling has been restricted to bringing up water for hot springs and geothermal heat pump systems, although South Korea now has equipment at its disposal for drilling through bedrock.

However, South Korea may begin developing its own potential. Last year, the Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources (KIGAM) (Gangneung, South Korea) conducted a geothermal assessment to be presented at this year's proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress in Bali, Indonesia. The assessment estimates that if at least 2% of geothermal resources lying five kilometers below sea level were tapped, South Korea could produce more than 200 times the amount of total domestic energy generated in 2006. This energy would equal about 75,000 terawatt-hours.

KIGAM's assessment seems to be stirring movement within the electric power sector. Earlier in the year, officials of Jeju (Cheju) Island, located off the southeast coast of South Korea, signed an agreement with Korea East-West Power Company Limited (KEWP) (Seoul, South Korea) to develop a pilot geothermal plant on the island. KEWP was joined by HUSCON (Seoul) and Innogeo Technologies Incorporated (Seoul), and together the trio has tentative plans to construct a geothermal facility that will generate five megawatts of sustainable energy based on an enhanced geothermal system. KEWP and the other two companies are expecting to complete the $115 million pilot plant in 2015.

The assessment conducted by KIGAM could prove to be a beneficial gateway toward South Korea's energy security. South Korea's government is investing heavily in renewable sources of energy that lessen the country's dependence on fossil fuel imports and hopes to see immense progress within the next five years. Worries over ground, water, and air pollution hover over geothermal energy, but new developments such as emissions capture and geological fluid reinjection are proving to be useful. Geothermal power plants still produce a fraction of the carbon dioxide emissions than traditional coal-fired power plants and other standard thermal energy plants.

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