Power-deprived North Korea sets sights on sanctions-proof energy sources
- The North’s renewed focus on oil alternatives underscores what some observers believe are two of its long-term best bets.
- Pyongyang imports nearly all of its oil and petroleum products from China
Finding a lasting energy source that isn’t vulnerable to sanctions has long been a top priority for North Korean officials. Leader Kim Jong-un used his New Year’s address last month to call on the country to “radically increase the production of electricity” and singled out the coal-mining industry as a “primary front in developing the self-supporting economy.” For the longer-term, he stressed the importance of atomic, wind and tidal power.
Since further development of atomic energy is unlikely any time soon, the power-scarce country is developing technology to “gasify” coal into substitute motor fuels. It is also looking into using huge sea barriers with electricity-generating turbines to harness the power of the ocean’s tides.
Coal and hydropower are North Korea’s main energy resources. Pyongyang imports nearly all of its oil and petroleum products from China. Solar panels are visible just about everywhere, from urban balconies to rural farm buildings and military installations. Wind remains a very minor energy source.
The North’s renewed focus on oil alternatives underscores what some foreign observers believe are two of its long-term best bets.
But coal is something North Korea has in abundance.
