Energy Consumption on the Rise Again

Energy consumption is rising again due to the revitalization of industrial production and a recovery of consumer confidence in Korea.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy released the trend of energy supply and demand in the first quarter of 1999.
Energy consumption for the opening three months, from January to March, of this year amounted to 47.85 million tons, which was slightly beyond the 47.10 million tons used during the same period of 1997.
Total energy consumed by the industrial sector rose 4.7 percent and transportation was up 5.5 percent, while energy usage in homes and the commercial sector jumped 31.2 percent.
In terms of energy resources consumed, petroleum products recorded 1.95 million barrels - up 11.5 percent, soft coal was up 1.4 pecent to 13.09 tons, hard coal and LNG rose 4.6 percent and 27.1 percent, respectively, and electrical power usage was up 6.2 percent.
However, the cost of energy imported from abroad amounted to 43.4 billion dollars, down 20.2 percent compared to the same period of last year. Jangsoo Seo:jsbee@joongang.co.kr