South Korea's coal phase-out plan keeps up to 10 plants as emergency reserves until 2040

South Korea's latest electricity plan calls for shutting down all coal power by 2040, but leaves a loophole: up to 10 units can stay as 'security power sources' for emergency use during heat waves, cold snaps, or supply shocks like a Middle East war. Most of the 21 plants that would otherwise retire early will be phased out between 2037 and 2039, while the designated reserves remain on standby with reduced staffing. The government says these plants will not generate normally and won't count toward generation capacity, but they can be restarted when needed. Units that run more often will need CCUS (carbon capture) equipment. That raises questions about whether the emergency reserve concept undermines the carbon neutrality goal, especially if CCUS remains expensive or unreliable. The plan also shifts some coal plants to LNG or pumped storage by 2038, so the real test is how often those reserve plants actually get switched on.