Environment ministry proposes global grid partnership at G20 meeting

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it proposed a new international framework to secure stable electricity supplies as global demand surges driven by data centers and electrification. Vice Minister Lee Ho-hyun, attending the Group of 20 energy ministers meeting in Houston, urged member nations to jointly address challenges in generation capacity, grid connection and supply chains.

Lee identified these areas as critical bottlenecks that individual countries cannot solve alone, noting that expanding renewable energy and nuclear plants is ineffective without connected grids and reliable equipment supplies. He formally suggested establishing a Resilient Grid Partnership to share investment plans and foster cooperation among governments, utilities and manufacturers.

"It is necessary to build a stable supply chain for materials and equipment needed for transformers, batteries and power lines," Lee said. "Since this is difficult to resolve through individual national efforts, a joint response is required."

Lee framed the initiative as a modern equivalent of strategic oil reserves, arguing that energy security in an electrified era depends on securing core power equipment. He highlighted South Korea's strengths in grid operation and manufacturing as key assets for the multilateral approach ahead of its 2028 G20 chairmanship.

During the visit, Lee held bilateral talks with US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle Haustveit to expand cooperation in power and small modular reactors. The two sides agreed to expedite the launch and regularisation of a Korea-US Energy Cooperation Dialogue and pledged to pursue a memorandum of understanding to formalise the channel.

Lee also met with Katherina Reiche, Germany's federal minister for economic affairs and energy, and a senior official from the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. In separate meetings, he visited ExxonMobil to discuss low-carbon projects including lithium development and carbon capture, and toured the Baker Institute at Rice University to exchange views on Middle East geopolitics and global energy markets.

At a gathering with Korean energy companies in Houston, Lee promised government support to minimise risks and uncertainty in the US market, vowing to build a collaborative system involving various stakeholders to protect their interests.