In 2022, almost two-thirds of North Korea’s electricity came from low-carbon sources, with hydropower alone supplying about 63% of the total. Fossil fuels provided the remaining 37%, predominantly coal, which accounted for about 35% of electricity consumption. This means North Korea already has a largely clean electricity mix, but coal still supplies more than a third of its electricity, contributing to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in North Korea?

The 2022 figures show that electricity consumption per person remained well below North Korea’s historical peak, although comparisons with records alone cannot establish the latest year-to-year trend. Total consumption was about 1,008 kWh per person, roughly 700 kWh—or 41%—below the record of 1,707 kWh in 1988. Low-carbon electricity generation stood at about 636 kWh per person, around 100 kWh—or 14%—below its 1990 record of 739 kWh. These shortfalls are concerning: sustained growth in clean electricity is needed to support better living standards, electrification and future demand, including computing and AI.

Suggestions

North Korea could increase clean electricity generation by strengthening its hydropower infrastructure while expanding solar and considering civilian nuclear electricity under appropriate international safeguards. Nearby regions offer particularly relevant examples: South Korea generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, while China generates about 12% from solar and 11% from wind. These examples illustrate how nuclear, solar and wind can complement an established hydropower base. France and Slovakia, where nuclear supplies about two-thirds of electricity, provide further examples of large-scale clean generation. For solar, the US state of California generates almost a third of its electricity from that source. Grid investment, technical training and international cooperation would help turn these lessons into additional low-carbon electricity.

History

North Korea’s reported low-carbon electricity history is dominated by changes in hydropower. The listed increases during the 1980s totaled 5 TWh, including a 2 TWh gain in 1988. The 1990s brought substantial setbacks: the listed declines in 1992–1993 and 1996–1997 totaled about 5 TWh. Gains in 2003 and 2008 were followed by a 1.6 TWh fall in 2009 and a 0.9 TWh recovery in 2010. The mid-to-late 2010s were uneven, with a particularly steep 3 TWh decline in 2015, a 2.8 TWh rebound in 2016, and further alternating losses and gains through 2019. Encouragingly, hydropower generation increased by 1.8 TWh in 2020 and 3.3 TWh in 2021, marking a strong recent recovery in the supplied historical series.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade