Market Data

Korea renewable energy procurement, priced

What buyers' renewable energy requirements actually cost, shown with real market data — green premium, REC, SMP and carbon allowance (KAU) prices in Korea.

Procurement cost

Green premium clearing price, by KEPCO auction round

Data as of August 11, 2026Auctioned 2–3 times a year · updated when a new round is announced

Low 10 · High 15 · Latest 10

Unit: ₩/kWh

━ Average clearing priceHigh–low range┄ Floor 10Auctioned 2–3 times a year · hover the chart to read each round

Reference (renewable supply-cost trend, 26.09): on an SMP+REC basis, renewable supply costs 190.4₩/kWh — that is +8.5₩/kWh against the KEPCO 산업용 평균판매단가 rate of ₩181.9. This is a wholesale-market trend, not the clearing price shown above.

Latest round 26 R2 cleared at an average of ₩10/kWh — flat on the previous round

Read the detail

KEPCO runs this auction two to three times a year, so the price shifts a little each round. Recent rounds have cleared steadily near the floor price of ₩10/kWh.

What to do

International recognition of the green premium is limited, so if you have a global buyer to answer to, weigh it alongside a PPA or RECs.

What this means for your site

A site using 5 million kWh a year that covers 20% of it adds about ₩10.0 million (≈ US$7,400) a year to its electricity bill.

Dollar figures are approximate, converted at 1,342.9 KRW/USD, as of 2026-11-02 (European Central Bank (ECB) — euro foreign exchange reference rates). The won amount is the figure of record.

Source: 한국전력공사 에너지마켓플레이스(EN:TER) 입찰 결과 공고Original ↗Guide: bidding in a green premium auction →Run this price through the cost calculator →

Procurement cost

REC spot price, monthly average (last 12 months)

Data as of October 31, 2026Updated monthly

Low 70,411 · High 72,294 · Latest 71,317

Unit: ₩/REC

┄ Baseline (period start, 72,144)● High● LowHover the chart to read each point

● 26.03 · last 12 months low

REC ₩71,317/REC, down on the previous month

Read the detail

Over the last 12 months it ranged from ₩70,411 to ₩72,294 per REC, and it tends to soften around the RPS settlement window (June–July).

What to do

Buying the shortfall in instalments during the softer stretches works out better than buying it all at once.

What this means for your site

Covering the same volume (1,000 RECs) with certificates costs about ₩71.3 million (≈ US$53,000) a year. The price gap against the green premium also reflects how much additionality each route is credited with.

Dollar figures are approximate, converted at 1,342.9 KRW/USD, as of 2026-11-02 (European Central Bank (ECB) — euro foreign exchange reference rates). The won amount is the figure of record.

Source: 신재생원스톱 REC 현물 월평균 (onerec) — Korea, monthly average REC spot priceOriginal ↗Guide: K-RE100 procurement routes →Run this price through the cost calculator →

Background indicator

SMP, monthly weighted average (last 12 months)

Data as of September 30, 2026Updated monthly · the source publishes about 3 months later

Low 90.4 · High 148.4 · Latest 119

Unit: ₩/kWh

┄ Baseline (period start, 101.5)● High● LowHover the chart to read each point

● 25.12 · last 12 months low

SMP ₩119/kWh, down on the previous month

Read the detail

Over the last 12 months it moved between ₩90.4 and ₩148.4/kWh, and it currently sits below the midpoint of that range.

What to do

If you are going to lock a PPA at a fixed price, look at it early in an upward trend.

Why this number matters

This is the wholesale price, not the rate you pay. It is the baseline for deciding whether to lock a PPA at a fixed price.

Source: EPSIS monthly weighted-average SMP (Korea Power Exchange)Original ↗Guide: K-RE100 procurement routes →Calculate your procurement cost →

Carbon cost

KAU allowance, month-end close (KAU25, last 12 months)

Data as of September 30, 2026Updated monthly · updates are running slightly behind

Low 10,400 · High 29,450 · Latest 29,450

Unit: ₩/t-CO₂

┄ Baseline (period start, 10,400)● High● LowHover the chart to read each point

● 26.08 · last 12 months high

KAU ₩29,450/t-CO₂ — about 2.8× higher over 12 months (₩10,400 → ₩29,450)

Read the detail

₩10,400 in 25.10 → ₩29,450/t-CO₂ in 26.09. The higher the carbon cost climbs, the more a switch to renewables avoids.

What to do

If you export into CBAM scope, try using this figure as the floor for your internal carbon price.

Why this number matters

The EU's carbon border levy (CBAM) deducts a carbon price already paid in the country of origin. That makes this figure a direct input into what a buyer or an exporter ends up owing in the EU.

Source: Korea Exchange (KRX) Emissions Market (KAU25)Original ↗Guide: calculating CBAM embedded emissions (common part) →

Global RE100

Korea 12% vs global 53%

A buyer's RE100 requirement starts from this 41pp gap.

Korea 12%: 2025 RE100 Annual Disclosure Report (Sep 2026) · Global 53%: RE100 page on South Koreaupdated when the next annual report is released

Share of electricity RE100 members source from renewables

Global average53%

41pp gap

In Korea12%

Members headquartered in Korea

30+

Members operating in Korea

180+

Why it is low in Korea specifically

Lack of procurement options · High cost · Limited supply of renewables

Over a third of RE100 members working in Korea have flagged problems with the market, and RE100 names Korea as one of the hardest markets its members face.

※ Global member counts and total electricity consumption differ between publications, so we leave them out. We only use figures that are consistent within a single source. Source: RE100 (Climate Group) — Our work in South Korea ↗2025 RE100 Annual Disclosure Report ↗What you can do about it →

Participation

How far other companies have got (K-RE100 registrations)

Data as of 2026-11-03Korea Energy Agency registry1 of 643 source records could not be read from the public API

Registered

634companies

New in 2025

146companies

Targeting 2030 or earlier

81companies

New registrations by year

152020

602021

922022

1702023

1512024

1462025

Target-year distribution (of the 227 companies that stated a target)

By 203081 · 35.7%
2031–204040 · 17.6%
2041–2050100 · 44.1%
2051 or later6 · 2.6%

Pick a sector or type a company name to list the companies.

※ This list shows K-RE100 registrations and target years, not what has been achieved. The registry carries no industry classification, so the sector chips are Korean keywords matched against each company's own description. Company names stay in Korean, as the registry records them. Source: Korea Energy Agency — K-RE100 participant registry (Public Data Portal) ↗How to register →Registered with K-RE100? Create proof of renewable energy use with GreenMark (Korean) ↗

RE100 procurement routes

Comparing RE100 procurement routes

Four routes side by side, not just RECs. For Korean supply-chain manufacturers, a long-term fixed-price PPA is usually the primary route.

Route	Price (KRW/kWh)	Term	Price volatility	Best fit	Break-even	Note
Corporate PPAPRIMARY	Contract-specific	10–20 yrs	Low	Mid–large / stable supply	Contract-specific	Best fit for meeting a buyer’s RE100 requirement
Green premium	about +10	1 yr	Low	Small scale / quick start	Immediate	Limited additionality credit, low barrier to entry
REC purchase	Varies	As needed	High	Small volume / short-term	–	Spot price swings a lot; not fit as a primary route
On-site generation	Upfront investment	15+ yrs	None	Sites with available land	7–12 yrs	Land and upfront cost burden, long-term savings

※ General market estimates as of Jul. 2026 (price and break-even). A corporate PPA has no published market price, so its price differs from contract to contract. A precise figure for your contract type and load profile comes from the transition diagnosis.

Need the context behind these numbers? Read the South Korea Energy Market Guide 2026 →

Carbon cost

CBAM certificate price

Applies to 2026 Q2 · published 2026-07-06next publication 2026 Q3 (2026-10-05)

€75.28/ tCO₂

₩113,3871 EUR = ₩1,506.2 (as of 2026-11-02)Down €0.08 from 2026 Q1 (€75.36)

≈ US$84 per tCO₂ · converted at 1,342.9 KRW/USD, as of 2026-11-02

Price per tonne, side by side (KRW)

EU CBAM certificate

₩113,387/ tCO₂

Certificates EU importers buy for embedded emissions

Korean allowance (KAU)

₩29,450/ tCO₂

Allowances traded among Korean ETS-covered companies

These values are not directly comparable or subtractable.

What this means for your company

If the goods you export to the EU carry 1,000 t-CO₂ of embedded emissions a year, the certificates alone come to:

1,000 t-CO₂ × ₩113,387

about ₩113.4 million a year

≈ US$84,000 a year

What gets deducted

A carbon price actually paid in the country of origin is deducted. But if you do not hold an allocation under the Korean ETS, you have never bought KAUs, so there is nothing to deduct.

Read the detail

This price is set as a weighted average of EU ETS auction clearing prices. It is not a live market quote but a figure the Commission calculates and publishes, so it stays fixed within the quarter. In 2026 it is published quarterly; from 2027 it changes weekly.

What to do

Get the emissions data your buyer asks for first. What you owe is set by embedded emissions, not by the certificate price.

Source: European Commission — Price of CBAM certificates ↗FX rate European Central Bank (ECB) — euro foreign exchange reference rates ↗How embedded emissions are calculated →

Stop hunting for REC, PPA and tariff prices

We send REC, SMP, carbon allowance and green premium prices, plus the Korean energy policy changes companies need to track.

What does this page show?

We reprocess publicly available Korean energy price data into figures a supplier can act on. SMP (system marginal price), RECs (renewable energy certificates), KAU (carbon allowances) and the green premium are compared on one screen, in numbers you can put straight into a report.

Sources: EPSIS (SMP) · onerec (REC) · KRX (KAU) · KEPCO Energy Marketplace (green premium). Refresh: SMP, REC and carbon allowances update monthly; the green premium updates per KEPCO auction round (about 2–3 times a year), so there are gaps between rounds. These are not live quotes — figures are estimates based on public market data. A precise, company-specific figure comes from the transition diagnosis.