Electricity in North Korea in 2022

In 2022, North Korea's electricity consumption was heavily reliant on hydropower and coal. More than half of the country's electricity, approximately 58%, came from low-carbon sources, primarily hydropower. The dominant role of hydropower reflects the country's geography and investment in this technology over the years. On the other hand, fossil fuels accounted for about 42% of the electricity consumption, with coal being the predominant fossil energy source at nearly 40%. This reliance on coal is concerning due to its negative impacts on air quality and climate change.

Suggestions

To further increase low-carbon electricity generation, North Korea could look to the successful strategies implemented by other countries. For instance, countries like France and Slovakia generate the majority of their electricity from nuclear energy, making it a significant contributor to their low-carbon profiles. South Korea, which shares some regional similarities with North Korea, also harnesses around 31% of its electricity from nuclear energy. Similarly, Denmark and Uruguay have significantly invested in wind energy, achieving 61% and 36% of their electricity from wind, respectively. North Korea could benefit from diversifying its low-carbon energy mix by integrating nuclear and wind energy, which have proven to be effective in many countries.

History

Historically, North Korea's low-carbon electricity generation has heavily fluctuated due to varying hydropower output. In the 1980s, hydropower saw gradual increases with notable growth in years like 1988 when generation rose by 2 TWh. However, the 1990s experienced significant declines, with sharp decreases in 1992 and 1993 by -0.8 and -0.9 TWh respectively, and further drops in 1996 and 1997. The early 2000s brought some recovery, such as in 2003 with an increase of 1.1 TWh, but fluctuations continued into the 2010s. Recent years show a pattern of instability, with significant drops in 2019 and 2022 of -1.7 and -3.3 TWh, respectively, although there were intermittent increases like in 2021 when hydropower rose by 3.3 TWh. This historical inconsistency underlines the need for a more stable low-carbon energy strategy, potentially through diversifying into nuclear and wind energy.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

Data Sources