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K-RE100: Scheme Overview and Compliance Routes

Korean title (as on the document): 한국형 RE100(K-RE100) 운영·이행수단 안내

When a client tells you to "use renewable energy," there are five options you can choose from.

RE100 · 2026.07 · 4 min read

Summary

  • K-RE100 is a domestic scheme the Korea Energy Agency has run since 2021; the core of it is being issued an official certificate that you used renewable energy, and using that to answer client requirements, global RE100 and CDP.
  • There are five implementation options — green premium, REC purchase, third-party PPA, direct PPA and self-consumption — and on the Agency's guidance all of these domestic options are recognised under RE100.
  • You can take part without joining the global RE100 campaign — companies, public institutions and local governments alike — which makes it the most realistic starting point for a supplier that has to answer a client's requirement.

When a request comes down from a client to "tell us your renewable energy plan," most supplier staff get stuck on two things: what counts as having used renewable energy, and how to prove it. K-RE100 is the domestic scheme that settles exactly those two questions.

What is this document?

It is the K-RE100 (renewable energy use confirmation) scheme overview operated by the Korea Energy Agency's New and Renewable Energy Center. In force since 2021, it supports companies in voluntarily using renewable energy and having that record issued as a renewable energy use certificate to use for global RE100, disclosures and marketing.

One fact matters most. This is not a scheme you can use only if you have joined the global RE100 campaign. Eligibility is defined as "electricity consumers who use renewable electricity and wish to be issued a certificate," so companies, public institutions and local governments can all take part regardless of membership. Small, medium and mid-sized suppliers whose annual electricity consumption is not large qualify just the same.

Why K-RE100 matters for suppliers

Global RE100 is a campaign centred on large companies that use 100GWh or more a year, whereas K-RE100 is a scheme you join with no consumption threshold and receive an official certificate from. What a client asks for is, in most cases, not campaign membership but evidence of renewable energy use.

The five implementation options — what you can choose

On the Agency's guidance there are five ways to procure renewable energy, and all the domestic implementation options are recognised under RE100. The difference is not "whether it counts" but how much it costs, how long it ties you in, and how much work it takes.

Implementation optionHow it worksFrom a supplier's point of view
Green premiumPay a premium to KEPCO separately from your existing electricity bill and buy renewable electricity (bidding on the KEPCO Energy Marketplace)No equipment or long-term contract needed. The lowest barrier to entry, so often chosen as a first response
REC purchaseBuy renewable energy certificates (RECs) directly (traded on the platform set up by the Korea Energy Agency)Buy as much as you need to fill the gap. The cost moves with the market price
Third-party PPASign a power purchase agreement with a renewable generator, brokered by KEPCOA long-term contract. Volume is secured reliably, but the review and negotiation burden is heavy
Direct PPASign a power purchase agreement directly with a renewable electricity supply businessA long-term contract. You negotiate directly, with no broker
Self-consumptionInstall your own renewable energy equipment and use the electricity it generates directlyRequires upfront investment and space (a rooftop, for example). Over the long run it also cuts your bill

If you have to answer a client's requirement with no dedicated headcount, the realistic order is generally green premium → REC → PPA and self-consumption. The first two can be started with a contract and a payment alone, while the last three bring an investment decision and a long-term contract review with them. That said, which option is the better deal depends on your company's consumption, tariff and the level of your client's requirement, so it is safer to compare the costs first and then decide.

A client may look at which option you used

Under the domestic scheme all five options are recognised, but in global initiative discussions the assessment of each option diverges over additionality — whether new renewable generation was actually added. It is safer to check first whether your client prefers or requires a particular option.

The participation process — from registration to the certificate

Roadmap · Korea Energy Agency K-RE100 participation process

  1. 1

    STEP 1

    Company registration on the management system

    Register your company on the renewable energy use management system (nr.energy.or.kr)

  2. 2

    STEP 2

    Choose and use an implementation option

    Choose from the 5 implementation options and use renewable electricity

  3. 3

    STEP 3

    Submit usage records

    Submit usage and evidence by option to the management system

  4. 4

    STEP 4

    Issue of the use certificate

    The Agency confirms the records and issues the certificate

  5. 5

    STEP 5

    Use for RE100 and CSR

    Use as the basis for client submissions, disclosures and marketing

The point easily missed here is STEP 3. Winning a green premium bid or buying RECs is not the end: it becomes evidence you can hand to a client only once you have submitted the usage records to the management system and had them confirmed. The click-by-click procedure for company registration and record submission is set out exactly as it is in the registration manual among the related resources below.

How to use it in practice

1. First check the level the client's request is pitched at. Whether it asks only for a "renewable energy plan" or goes as far as "the share used (%) and evidence" changes which option and how much volume you need.

2. Size the volume you need against your own consumption. There is no need to switch everything at once. The usual approach is to cover just the share the client requires first and increase it in stages.

3. Pick an option and finish registration and record submission in one run. If you only sign the contract and put off submitting the records, you have no paperwork to hand over when the client's reporting date actually arrives.

What to check before you start

  • What the client is asking for — a plan, a share used and evidence, or a specific implementation option
  • Your company's annual electricity consumption (kWh) and the KEPCO customer number for each site
  • A business joint certificate (사업자 공동인증서) — needed for company registration on the management system
  • The target share and budget you will cover this year — start from what is needed, not a full switch
Once these four are settled, the choice of option mostly narrows itself down

How much does it cost?

The unit price of each implementation option keeps moving with market conditions, so rather than fixing a number in this article it is more accurate to look at the latest prices. Winning prices by green premium bidding round and the trend in REC prices can be checked in Market data.

Note: The breakdown of implementation options and the participation process were compiled against the original Korea Energy Agency scheme guidance. The cost of each option varies with market conditions, so please also check the latest prices. Enquiries: Korea Energy Agency, Renewable Policy Department, K-RE100 Operations Team, 052-920-0711~0713.

Go deeper → get the full source document

Published by Korea Energy Agency, New & Renewable Energy Center. The source document is in Korean. Verify the source and current edition with the issuing body.

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