S. Korea's energy consumption down 2.9 pct in H1: report

By Lee Joon-seung

SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's energy consumption decreased 2.9 percent in the first half of this year due to the sluggish economy and warmer weather conditions, a government report showed Thursday.

The contraction marks the first time in 11 years that energy consumption measured
in tons of oil equivalent (TOE) has fallen compared to the year before, the
Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
From January through June the country used up 91.3 million TOEs of energy, down
from 94.0 million TOEs tallied for the first half of 2008.
"Unseasonably warm winter months this year helped cut back on heating while the
weak domestic economy caused manufacturers to cut back on production resulting in
less energy being used by the industrial sector," a ministry official said.
Industrial energy use, which accounts for 57 percent of all energy used in South
Korea, fell 3.2 percent on-year, while energy used in homes and in the commercial
sector was down 4.6 percent. Transportation-related use contracted 0.9 percent
annually, but the public sector used 5.6 percent more energy than the year
before.
The ministry official said that government conservation measures helped
contribute to the overall drop in fuel and electric power consumption.
For the second half, the ministry, which is in charge of the country's industrial
and energy policies, said milder summer months have affected electricity demand,
potentially leading to less energy usage for the entire year.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)

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