Electricity pricing in Korea: A study of pricing initiatives as positive contributors to the development process

摘要

The ''economic miracle'' in South Korea over the past three decades has been supported by a corresponding increase in electric generating capacity in a relatively short period of time, accomplished in a country with limited domestic energy resources and large commitments of capital to exported-oriented industries. Generating capacity increased nearly 12-fold in a 12-year period during the formative stages of Korea's development from 1962 to 1973 and more than 50-fold from 1962 to the present time. For capital- and energy-short developing countries, the Korean experience is a good example of the contribution of pricing-related initiatives to development of the power sector. Besides setting prices at a level sufficient to provide resources for the power sector, a number of initiatives designed to reduce the cost of electricity supply were implemented. These pricing-related initiatives were a significant source of resources for the power sector during the 1962--73 period. More recently, implementation of time-of-day pricing and enactment of legislation aimed at improving the performance of public enterprises significantly contributed to the efficiency of the power system.