Environmental impacts and benefits of regional power system interconnections for the Republic of Korea

This paper provides rough estimates of the environmental benefits, from the standpoint of the Republic of Korea, of power system interconnection among Northeast Asian countries (referred to here as NEAREST for North East Asian Region Electrical System Ties). Emphasis is placed on potential "RFE-DPRK-ROK" (Russian Far East-Democratic Peoples\´ Republic of Korea-Republic of Korea) inter-ties. Estimates presented here are based on several previous specific case studies, including an earlier KERI interconnection scenario and a new scenario including the effect of the KEDO N/P (Korean Peninsula Development Organization nuclear power plants) that are being built in the DPRK. Generally, it is known that power system interconnections between countries, each one of which has their own seasonal load maximum, power mix, and electricity tariffs, has advantages from environmental as well as economic viewpoints. The environmental benefits of power system interconnection include the reduction, through the mechanism of intercountry electricity trading, of GHG (green house gas) emissions from electricity production in thermal power plants. The monetary value of the avoided emissions can be expressed as the total reduction in GHG emissions multiplied by CO₂ tax per TCE (tone of carbon equivalent). This paper describes analysis results of environmental benefits, including reductions in TCE and in CO₂ taxes, which could be obtained using intercountry electricity trading based on "RFE-DPRK-ROK" power system interconnection scenarios.