North Korea s electrification of new energy storage

Access to solar panels has created capacity where the state falls short, but the overall energy security challenges facing the nation are daunting. This report, “North Korea's Energy Sector,” is a compilation of articles published on 38 North in 2023 that surveyed North Korea's energy production facilities and infrastructure.

North Korea suffers from chronic energy shortages. Rolling blackouts are common, even in the nation's capital, while some of the poorest citizens receive state-provided electricity only once a year.

While North Korea's thermal power stations continue to play an important role in the state's energy mix, the stations were built decades ago in collaboration with engineers from the former Soviet Union and China. The outdated technology makes them inefficient, and thermal capacity has not risen significantly in decades.

Despite its domestic electricity shortage, North Korea is a net exporter of electricity to China. Electricity so far has not been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and as such, has become a more important source of revenue generation for Pyongyang since foreign trade has declined over the last decade.

For 2020, Statistics Korea estimates North Korea's total electricity supply at 23.9 terawatt hours (TWh), while Nautilus estimates only 14 TWh. Both agree that hydro supplies the largest portion of electricity to the country and are in broad agreement on the amount.

Over the last four decades, North Korea's total generating capacity has risen just 64 percent compared to a 1,275 percent rise over the same period in South Korea, according to estimates from Statistics Korea. Figure 2. Growth in total electrical power generation capacity in North and South Korea. Energy Supply Today