South Korea joins the Powering Past Coal Alliance and sets 2040 end date for two-thirds of coal fleet
by Bob Burton in Coal Wire
South Korea announced it plans to close about two-thirds of its fleet of non-captive coal plants by 2040 and has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, an international coalition aimed at accelerating the transition from coal generation. Kim Sung-hwan, the Minister for Climate, said the coal phaseout “is not only necessary for the climate but also beneficial for energy security, corporate competitiveness and job creation”. South Korean government data indicates there are 61 operating coal units, excluding captive plants, with 40 units scheduled to close by 2040. The government will finalise the closure dates of the remaining 21 units in 2026 after detailed assessment and public consultation. South Korea’s coal fleet has a combined capacity of 39.1 gigawatts (GW). Solutions for Our Climate described the proposed coal phaseout as “far from sufficient”, pointing to recent research that said that South Korea needs to retire all coal power plants by 2035 to meet the upper limit target of a 61 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions included in its Nationally Determined Contribution report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 2024, South Korea imported about 91 million tonnes of thermal coal, mainly from Indonesia, Russia and Australia and accounts for about 7 per cent of global thermal coal imports.
The announcement came as a legal case brought by South Korean farmers against the state utility Korea Electric Power Corporation has come to the fore. South Korea’s commitment to close almost two-thirds of its non-captive coal-fired power plants by 2040 represents a shift in the country’s energy strategy and is a powerful signal to other Asian countries. However, the decisions on the closure dates of the other one-third of the country’s coal units will be crucial. South Korea, like Japan, has touted ammonia co-firing as one strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants.
(The Korea Times, Guardian, Powering Past Coal Alliance, Solutions for Our Climate)
REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND BAHRAIN JOIN THE POWERING PAST COAL ALLIANCE AT COP30
17 NOV, 2025
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES Powering Past Coal Alliance
Latest additions build momentum for ambition on the coal-to-clean transition in Belem
Belém, Brazil, 17th November 2025: Today at the UN Climate Summit COP30, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Bahrain joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a global coalition of over 180 national and subnational governments, businesses and organisations working to advance the transition from unabated coal power generation to clean energy. This announcement further demonstrates momentum in discussions on how to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels at COP30.
The Republic of Korea currently operates the 7th largest coal fleet in the world. The share of coal generation has decreased from 42.5% in 2015 to 30.5% in 2024 but still represents a significant source of emissions, and several new coal units have only begun operation in the last few years.
By joining the PPCA, the Korean government has officially announced, for the first time, its commitment to stop building new unabated coal power plants and phasing out existing and unabated coal power plants. Out of 61 existing coal power plants, 40 coal power plants are confirmed to phase out by 2040. The phase out date for the remaining 21 coal power plants will be determined based on economic and environmental feasibility after public discussion, and a specific plan is scheduled to be established next year. The Alliance will support the Korean government in accelerating the phase-out of coal in a way that leaves no worker or community behind and increases economic growth and energy security.
The Korean government has also pledged to work with other members of the PPCA to advance the coal-to-clean transition globally. The Republic of Korea is the second country in Asia to join the PPCA and will play a key role in supporting the transition away from coal power in the Asia-Pacific region.
Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, Republic of Korea said:
“By joining the PPCA, we are demonstrating the Republic of Korea’s commitment to accelerating a just and clean energy transition. Through the Alliance, we will kickstart our coal phase-out, as well as help the Alliance advance the coal transition worldwide. The shift from coal to clean power is not only essential for the climate. It will also help both the Republic of Korea, and all other countries increase our energy security, boost the competitiveness of our businesses, and create thousands of jobs in the industries of the future.”
Republic of Korea’s heavily industrialised and export-focused economy will gain a competitive advantage, making it a more attractive place for businesses around the world to invest, as they increasingly seek zero-carbon power. Coal phase-out will also help the country save billions of dollars in energy imports, as almost all of the country’s coal is imported, making it the fourth largest coal importer in the world. For these reasons, according to a recent opinion poll, 99% of Korean business executives wanted a shift from fossil-based to renewables-based electricity and 92% supported the phase-out of coal specifically within a decade.
Katie White, Minister for Climate, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, United Kingdom and PPCA Co-chair, said:
“This is a critical point in the global transition away from coal, which is why it’s great to have the Republic of Korea and Bahrain on board with the PPCA – demonstrating true climate leadership. By taking this ambitious step, they can reap the rewards that we are seeing from our own clean energy transition, creating new jobs and driving economic growth.”
Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada and PPCA Co-chair, said:
“Today’s announcement of new PPCA members is proof that the global move away from coal is gathering speed. In joining the Alliance, Republic of Korea and Bahrain send a strong signal to investors, businesses, and governments that this is where the future of energy is headed. We applaud this leadership in the coal-to-clean transition, and we hope more countries continue to collaborate with the PPCA to work towards a global coal transition that is sustainable, secure, and protects workers.”
Another country joining the PPCA today is Bahrain, which has never had any coal power plants and has committed to not build any in the future. The government of Bahrain has also pledged to work with other members of the PPCA to advance the coal-to-clean transition globally.
Major real-world progress has been made on the coal-to-clean transition, but at the same time, further action is urgently needed to keep the Paris Agreement goals in reach. At this COP, the PPCA has launched a new Plan to Accelerate Coal Transitions, laying out concrete, actionable steps to do just that, aiming to foster consensus on how to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels among countries gathered at COP30.
Moreover, on 19th November, the Coal Transition Commission will release two technical reports that will offer evidence-based solutions and lessons learned to identify opportunities to scale the pipeline of coal retirement projects as well as assess the supplementary role of flexible operation of specific coal plants in some emerging markets.
ENDS
Notes to the editors
The PPCA would like to kindly invite you to the PPCA High-level event “Accelerating the Coal-to-Clean Transition: Delivering on the Global Stocktake”, where the announcement of the Republic of Korea joining the PPCA will be made by Kim Sung-hwan, Korea’s Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment. The event is taking place on 17th November 2025 at 9:30-10:20 (local time), in Special Event Room 1 – São Francisco, Area C, first floor in the Blue Zone, COP30.
On 14th November, the PPCA has released a new Plan to Accelerate Coal Transitions, as part of the COP Presidency’s Action Agenda. It has been developed with 29 countries, financial institutions and organisations, and sets out a concrete path forward for accelerating the transition away from coal.
The new reports of the Coal Transition Commission will be launched on 19th November, at an event “Accelerating Coal-to-Clean Transitions in Southeast Asia: Enabling coal plant retirement and flexibility”, co-hosted by Indonesia and France in Indonesia Pavilion and online here: https://www.youtube.com/live/hxGF6CWaKJg
More information about PPCA activities and events at the COP can be found here: https://poweringpastcoal.org/cop30/
Anna Drazkiewicz, PPCA Communications Manager, 00 32 487 32 45 62, anna.drazkiewicz@poweringpastcoal.org