The 6th-term Energy Committee, inaugurated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, holds the 22nd meeting on major energy policies for the year 2021 on Feb. 22. (Photo: MOTIE)

A deadly winter storm that caused massive blackouts in Texas serves as a reminder that extreme events could easily overwhelm power generation sources to a breaking point.

It was first time the blackouts forced Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor plant in Austin to close. GM and other global companies had a hard time as well. Many people in Texas had to spend a few days without power.

Texas was hit the hardest by the rare winter storm, coupled with heavy snow, which plundered the central and southern regions of the United States, disrupting the operation natural gas-fired and wind power plants with a combined capacity of 45,000MW.

Even so, the full-capacity operation of three nuclear power units prevented even worse blackouts for the whole of the state.

The state authorities’ short-sighted energy policies was blamed for the massive blackout. Texas, abundant with shale gas, depends on natural gas for 52 percent of the state’s total power generation.

Over the past 10 years, Texas ditched a plan to build two nuclear power units, instead raising wind power capacity three-fold.

The state relies on gas-powered plants to back up wind, when wind power is not feasable, either because the wind is too weak or too strong.

However, but the unprecedented storm caused massive blackouts by freezing gas pipelines.

In reality, renewal energy such as photovoltaic power and wind power are susceptible to extreme weather and climate change.

Texas’ massive blackout offers a good lesson for Korea: Depending on renewable energies, particularly wind power, heavily could backfire.

Energy experts share the view that the Korean government, pushing ahead with an 8.2GW off-shore wind power complex in Shinan, Jeollanam-do, by 2030, the world’s largest capacity project, needs to learn lessons from Texas’ massive blackouts.

The massive off-shore complex will cost 48 trillion won, it will generate 8.2 GW, equivalent to the combined capacity of eight nuclear power units.

However, the capacity of the project amounts only to six 1.4GW nuclear power units, and the wind power project cannot be compared to nuclear power from a cost and operation efficiency perspective, said Rep. Kim Young-shik of the People Power Party.

Kim sits on the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communication Committee.

In a related development, the sixth-term Energy Committee, a government-civilian energy consultative body, was inaugurated, but it was formed only with renewable energy experts.

The group did not include the nuclear power sector, a signal that the government will accelerate efforts to wean the nation off nuclear power.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy decided to extend the power generation business license on the two planned Shin Hanul units 3 and 4 in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do, whose construction was suspended due to the government’s anti-nuclear policy.

The expiry of the power generation business license for Shin Hanul units 3 and 4 would ban KHNP from implementing new and renewable energy power generation projects, as regulated by law.

MOTIE made it clear that the renewing of the power generation business license on the two planned Shin Hanul units 3 and 4, done in the initial meeting of the Energy Committee is not to resume construction, but to smooth out its terminal of the project.

MOTIE officials said the government will seek to revise the Act on the Electric Business to make up for losses related to the implementation of the project.

Nuclear power officials said it was nonsensical that such issues were discussed during the inaugural meeting of the 6th Energy Committee without any nuclear power expert’s participation.

MOTIE officials said the government will announce by year-end innovative strategies to achieve carbon neutrality with a focus on the Energy Committee.

Prof. Joo Han-gyu with Seoul National University Atomic Energy Department, said nuclear power is serving as a base power source in an era of weaning nuclear power off the nation, and excluding nuclear power experts in the course of discussing energy strategies cannot be understandable.