(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) The South Korean government said Sunday it will increase the country's power supply by 15.8 million kilowatts by the year 2020 by building more thermal power plants in order to overcome the recent electricity shortage.
The Ministry of Knowledge and Economy said that it has picked companies to build 18 power generators across the nation, each powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) or coal, (Yonhap) news agency reported.
The LNG plants are scheduled to start commercial operation from 2015 to 2017 with a capacity of 5.06 million kW in total, while the coal power stations will start between 2018 and 2020 with a combined 10.74 million kW, according to the ministry.
However, a plan to build additional nuclear reactors has not yet been finalized due to growing public worry over safety, said the ministry.
The government earlier set up a 15-year plan to increase the country's overall electricity generation capacity by nearly 40% over the next 15 years. Under the plan, South Korea's generation capacity will expand to 95 million kilowatts by 2024 from about 70 million kilowatts in 2010.
South Korea has recently faced a series of power shortage warnings amid unprecedentedly low temperatures.
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