Electricity supply trend and operating statuses of coal-fired power plants in North Korea using the facility-specific data produced by North Korea: characterization and recommendations

Abstract

Reliable energy-related data from NK are needed in order to understand the status and management of air quality in NK. However, data from the North Korean government are limited. Nevertheless, in order to understand the electricity supply and operating statuses of coal-fired power plants in NK, we used the facility-specific data presented in the Project Design Documents of the registered Clean Development Mechanism projects hosted by NK to calculate several indicators that reflect the operating status of coal-fired power plants. The average daily operating time was short, between 4 and 20 h; the power generation efficiency was low, at about 23%; and the emission performance value of carbon dioxide was poor, at about 1500 gCO(2)/kWh. We also found that the electricity outputs presented in other studies were substantially lower than those reported for the coal-fired power plants in the second National Communication on Climate Change. The best way to provide financial and technical support to NK might be through international programs, such as a new technology transfer mechanism controlled by the Climate Technology Centre and Network in post-2020 climate regime.