[EDITORIAL]Clean energy

The government plans to build a total of 12 new nuclear reactors by 2012. Electricity generated by nuclear power plants would then account for more than half of all electricity produced in the country.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy predicted that the demand for electricity would grow an average of 2.1 percent each year, reaching some 500.1 billion kilowatt hours in 2022.

The 12 new nuclear reactors, which include eight under construction, are expected to raise power output by 15.20 million kilowatts by 2022. By 2022, nuclear energy power production will account for 48 percent of all power production, significantly up from the current 33 percent. Korea currently has 20 nuclear reactors.

While additional coal, liquefied natural gas and oil-fired power plants will be built, the total contribution by these plants to the total power output will be reduced over the years. Seven coal-fired and 11 LNG-fired power plants will be built in the next 14 years along with one oil-fired power plant.

The aim of the new energy blueprint is to cut down the greenhouse gas output, which is responsible for climate change. Twenty-eight percent of the greenhouse gas output in Korea comes from power generation. The plan also includes provisions for clean, reusable energy generation.

When the changes in the make-up of the power production facilities are completed by 2022, the government says the cost of generating power will go down to 18.3 won per kilowatt hour, compared to the current 41.2 won.

Greater reliance on nuclear power plants for cheaper and cleaner energy is a global trend. Japan plans to build 11 new nuclear power plants by 2020. China will accelerate the adoption of nuclear power with the goal of having 31 nuclear power plants by 2020. In the United States, plans are underway to encourage the building of new nuclear power plants in order to lessen the country`s dependence on oil.

Although nuclear power plants are touted as "clean," the public has lingering memories of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and the Three Mile Island accident in the United States. For the people who remember those incidents, nuclear power may seem dangerous and dirty.

To relieve these anxieties about the safety of nuclear power plants, the government must step up its efforts to educate the public about nuclear power plants. It should also convince the people that stringent safety measures are in place to prevent accidents and to handle accidents should they arise.

In the meantime, efforts must also be made to develop reliable forms of alternative energy sources that are environmentally friendly. Such efforts will lead to real "green growth."