SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - New research released by InfluenceMap finds that gas- and nuclear-focused energy supply-side companies and affiliated industry association groups dominate the policy debate over power sources for South Korea's data centers, accounting for 61% of InfluenceMap's tracked policy engagement on data center energy supply. By contrast, demand-side companies holding RE100 and net-zero commitments accounted for just 14% of tracked engagement. The remaining 25% came from companies and industry associations with no direct stake in data centers, which weighed in only once or twice. This limited engagement by power-consuming companies has ceded the terms of the debate to gas- and nuclear-focused energy supply-side companies and their allied industry groups, raising the risk that South Korea will miss a critical window for a renewables-led transition.
The research analyzes 97 policy engagement activities related to data centers by 41 companies, 24 industry associations, and five financial groups in South Korea from January 2023 to August 2026.1 Using science-based policy benchmarks derived from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), InfluenceMap systematically collected and evaluated the positions publicly expressed by these entities over the period.
The analysis finds that KEPCO, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), Doosan Enerbility, SK Innovation E&S, the energy subsidiary of SK Inc., the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)—major energy suppliers and cross-sector industry associations—accounted for approximately 61% of engagement activities on power sources for data centers.
The report finds these actors have emphasized expanding the role of LNG and nuclear power to meet surging electricity demand from data centers, while casting doubt on the technical and economic viability of a renewables-led mix. None of these actors accompanied their support for LNG expansion with conditions on emissions abatement or timelines aligned with IPCC guidance, and nuclear power was likewise presented as a substitute for renewables rather than a complement to them. These positions conflict with IPCC-aligned pathways to limit warming to 1.5°C. IPCC considers support for nuclear power aligned with its recommended pathway only when it is communicated as part of a broader position in support of phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to a predominantly renewables-based energy system, and it identifies renewable energy investment as a means to both mitigate climate change and strengthen energy security by reducing reliance on exhaustible fossil fuels.
Closely aligning with the energy suppliers, FKI argued that nuclear power could substitute for renewables and warned that the "excessive expansion of renewables" could undermine energy security, while KCCI emphasized that meeting data center electricity demand with a renewables-led mix faces economic and technical limitations. (InfluenceMap has repeatedly found that South Korea's cross-sector industry associations take positions closely aligned with energy suppliers despite their broader memberships, including in its April 2026 analysis of South Korea’s Power Plan).
In contrast, major data center demand-side companies, including Naver Corporation and Kakao, have not engaged actively in policy discussions on power sources. Demand-side companies accounted for only around 14% of InfluenceMap's tracked engagement on energy supply for data centers, and engagement patterns varied among them. Continued limited engagement of this kind risks becoming a longer-term liability, placing pressure on companies' ability to meet RE100 commitments and exposing them to trade measures such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), with potential knock-on effects for export competitiveness.
The analysis identifies Samsung Electronics and SK Inc—the parent company of SK Innovation E&S, SK Telecom, and SK Hynix—as showing a partial departure from this trend. Despite holding RE100 or net-zero commitments, both companies have engaged in support of LNG and nuclear for data centers. Samsung Electronics has shown limited engagement overall, expressing broad support for carbon-free energy including nuclear, though InfluenceMap's tracking picked up a recent statement by a senior Samsung Electronics executive in support of LNG to power the government's semiconductor cluster and data center mega project. SK Inc.'s engagement has similarly been mixed: in October 2025, at a gathering of Asia-Pacific energy companies, a senior SK Inc. representative supported a continued role for LNG and an extended role for nuclear power in response to AI-driven electricity demand. Ahead of publication, InfluenceMap contacted Samsung Electronics and SK Inc., sharing these findings and requesting clarification of each company's position on power sources for data centers; as of publication, neither company had responded.
As the Iran-related energy crisis has exposed the vulnerabilities of South Korea's fossil fuel import dependence, the near-absence of the companies with the greatest stake in how their data centers are powered means this fossil-fuel-centered policy direction could undermine both the country's energy security and its climate goals.
Advocacy for increased reliance on LNG runs counter to signals from the South Korean government. Under the 1st Basic Plan for Renewable Energy, announced by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) in May 2026, the government set a renewable target of at least 30% of power generation by 2035, and its 2026 Second Half Policy Implementation Plan reaffirmed a focus on reaching 100GW of renewable capacity by 2030. Under the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, new nuclear capacity added by 2038 amounts to just two large reactors (roughly 2.8GW) and one small modular reactor (0.7GW). Given that nuclear construction in South Korea typically takes more than a decade, this is seen as too limited and too slow to meet data center electricity demand, which is projected to triple by 2030.
If these negative industry positions successfully shape South Korea’s policy direction, the country could find itself on a similar trajectory to the US, where data center power strategy is fossil fuel-centered. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), as of 2024, natural gas supplied over 40% of electricity for US data centers, with coal accounting for approximately 15%. In their 2024 sustainability reports, Google and Microsoft both identified data center expansion as a major driver of their year-on-year greenhouse gas emissions increases of 13% and 29%, respectively.
1 This analysis covers domestic companies, industry associations, and financial groups currently tracked and publicly listed by InfluenceMap's Korea program, primarily selected according to public criteria such as the Forbes Global 2000.
Dahyun Kang, Analyst at InfluenceMap, said:
An LNG-centered power supply structure for data centers will lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions and continued fossil fuel import reliance, placing pressure on South Korea's 2050 carbon neutrality target, amplifying its energy security concerns, and risking the sustainability of its AI industry. With South Korea still in the early stages of data center infrastructure buildout, more active policy engagement by energy demand-side companies and their clear support for renewable energy expansion could play a critical role in delivering a renewables-led energy mix.
Professor Hong Jong-ho of Seoul National University's Graduate School of Environmental Studies said:
It is concerning that discussions on the power supply needed for AI data centers are centered on fossil fuels such as LNG and coal," adding, "Given South Korea's 2050 carbon neutrality pathway, its 2035 NDC target, and its 2040 coal phase-out goal, it is questionable whether the current debate over data center power sources is consistent with these decarbonization commitments." He added that "a series of recent international conflicts has once again exposed how exposed South Korea's energy mix is to geopolitical risk, particularly the risks of relying on imported natural gas," and that "climate policy considerations remain largely absent from the debate over data center and AI industry expansion." On renewable energy, he said industry and government alike "should not be swayed by skepticism toward the renewable energy transition," stressing that "the government must pursue more rigorous and proactive policy efforts to meet its 2030 target of 100GW of renewable energy capacity."
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Emily Bowen, Media Manager, InfluenceMap (London) T: +44 (0) 7446 276 140 / emily.bown@influencemap.org
Sejin Lee, Korea Program Manager, InfluenceMap (Seoul) T: +82 (0)1080825607 / sejin.lee@influencemap.org
