Korean Lawmaker Criticizes KMA's DER Weather Support, Proposes Data Use
During an October 8, 2026 parliamentary audit, lawmaker An Ho-young criticized the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) for reducing its renewable energy weather support budget by approximately 68% to 1.185 billion KRW this year, with only 3.4 dedicated staff. This raises concerns about stable service operation and expansion, crucial for Korea's 2030 target of 100 GW renewable capacity.
Our take
How does Korea's insufficient weather support impact renewable energy integration?
The significant underfunding and understaffing of Korea's renewable energy weather services, coupled with current limitations in sharing power plant generation data, poses a material risk to the stable integration and economic efficiency of DER assets by increasing grid balancing costs for the Korea Power Exchange.
Inaccurate weather forecasts for intermittent solar and wind generation lead to higher forecast errors, which necessitate greater dispatch of conventional generators or increased reserve capacity to maintain grid stability. This directly shifts the financial burden of balancing onto the grid operator, potentially impacting DER economics through future system charges or increased curtailment, despite KMA's efforts to launch new services. Utilizing existing power plant data could mitigate this risk, but requires overcoming data sensitivity and inter-agency coordination challenges.
What the source says
- The renewable energy weather support budget was 3.673 billion KRW in 2025.
- Domestic renewable energy capacity increased 12 times compared to 2015.
- Solar power generation accounted for up to 48.4% of total electricity demand at specific times in 2026.
- Korea Meteorological Administration The Korea Meteorological Administration launched an 'Energy Weather Summary Information' service in June 2026, providing insolation and wind speed data.
- Korea Meteorological Administration The Korea Meteorological Administration began providing high-resolution energy weather forecast information for solar and wind power generation via a renewable energy weather information platform in September 2026, offering insolation and wind data at up to 1km resolution.
- Lee Mi-seon KMA Director Lee Mi-seon stated that out of a request for approximately 7 additional staff for the regular organizational structure next year, only 1 research position was approved.
- Lee Geon-tae Lawmaker Lee Geon-tae proposed utilizing generation data from approximately 219,000 solar power plants and 108 wind power plants nationwide to supplement weather observation networks.
- Lee Mi-seon KMA Director Lee Mi-seon acknowledged that power generation data could aid weather forecasting but noted that sensitive information requires consultation with power-related institutions.
For investors — Investors and operators in Korean DER should factor in potential grid instability risks and increased balancing costs due to forecast inaccuracies, which could lead to higher curtailment or grid fees. Monitoring KMA's progress on securing resources and establishing data-sharing agreements with power sector entities is crucial.
Watch: Monitoring the Korea Meteorological Administration's success in securing additional budget and staff for renewable energy weather services, and progress on data sharing agreements with power sector institutions for utilizing power plant generation data.
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