Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is regaining strategic importance as the government reassesses its energy mix to support massive investments in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and semiconductor manufacturing, while a prolonged global boom in LNG strengthens prospects for the country’s broader LNG supply chain. Seoul is reconsidering LNG’s domestic role after previously planning to reduce its share in the country’s power mix under long-term decarbonization targets. Growing electricity demand from AI infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing has renewed focus on LNG-fired power generation as a flexible backup source to balance the intermittency of renewable energy. The government is expected to consider a sharp increase in the share of LNG power in a new electricity plan, which will be drawn up later this year.
Source: Korea Times Business