South Korea Targets 100 GW of Renewable Energy Capacity by 2030

Solar to Account for 87 GW

South Korea has announced a major renewable energy expansion plan under its Korea Green Transformation (K-GX) strategy, aiming to increase cumulative renewable energy capacity to 100 GW by 2030, backed by a proposed investment package of KRW 1,000 trillion.

The target represents a sharp increase from 37 GW at the end of 2025. Solar power will lead the expansion, with a planned capacity of 87 GW, while wind power is expected to reach 9 GW and other renewable sources will account for the remaining 4 GW.

New Sites and Lower Solar Costs

The government plans to accelerate solar deployment by identifying new project sites, including factory rooftops, agrivoltaic facilities and areas with available grid capacity.

South Korea also aims to reduce solar power generation costs from KRW 150/kWh in 2025 to KRW 100/kWh by 2030, with a further reduction to KRW 80/kWh by 2035.

Market Reform and Grid Investment

The proposed reforms include replacing the existing Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) system and spot market with a unified fixed-price mechanism based on competitive bidding. Detailed implementation plans are expected in January 2027.

To accommodate additional renewable generation, the government plans to expand transmission capacity, develop a subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) demonstration project and establish direct power supply networks for industrial parks and AI data centers.

The strategy is intended to strengthen energy security, lower electricity costs and support South Korea’s transition to a low-carbon economy.