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Civic group protesters hold a press conference to call for Kepco to scrap the Vung Ang 2 coal power plant project at Kepco‘s office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, on Oct. 5. (Yonhap)
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Korea Power Corp. on Sunday released its annual sustainability report, which highlighted the state-run utility’s plan to reduce or suspend its coal-fired power plant projects at home and abroad in the future.The release came amid mounting criticism from environmental and investment groups over Kepco’s double-sided business practices — conducting solar and wind power projects at home in lock step with President Moon Jae-in’s Green New Deal initiative while pursuing coal-fired power plant projects in foreign countries.
Despite the release, the controversy isn’t likely to subside as Kepco’s pledge to pursue no more overseas coal power plant projects refers to those in the future. Existing ones will be completed.
“Among the four overseas coal-fired power projects currently planned, the Jawa 9 &10 coal-fired power plants in Indonesia and the Vung Ang 2 coal-fired power plant in Vietnam are scheduled to be carried out,” Kepco said in the report.
“However, we are currently reviewing two remaining coal-fired power projects for the cancellation or conversion to liquefied natural gas, including the Thabametsi power plant in South Africa and the Pangasinan power plant in the Philippines.”