S Korea expands gas transmission and distribution systems/Government reviews gas sector deregulation and plans to increase gas imports

摘要

DESPITE its rapid economic growth record since the early 1980s, South Korea has few indigenous energy resources and has to rely on imported energy for the bulk of its needs. All crude oil and natural gas supplies are imported, along with about 20 percent of petroleum products and most of the country 5 coal requirements. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) first began to be imported in 1986, since when LNG imports have grown to 17.7MM tons in 2002, equivalent to 23.5MM tons of oil equivalent (toe) a year, and now represent about 11.25 percent of the country's total energy consumption. South Korea's 1997 economic crisis and subsequent recovery have had important repercussions for the energy sector. After energy consumption dropped sharply in 1998 due to the financial situation, primary energy demand soon began to rise the following year and has continued to grow, reaching 209MM toe in 2002, up 5 percent compared with 198.5 toe in 2001. While energy demand has risen once again due to an increase in vehicle numbers and the growth in residential and industrial energy use, the energy sector itself is undergoing a long reorganization.