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North Korea — Energy Infrastructure

OverWatts maps 87 energy assets in North Korea across 7 layers — the 66th-largest mapped base of 157 countries. They include 24 power plants, 19 iron ore mines and 16 cement plants. Operating generation capacity is 6.3 GW, led by coal at 51%.

The companies named on the most assets are Ministry of Metallurgical Industry (North Korea) (19), North Korea Ministry of Metallurgical Industry (19) and Ministry of Construction and Building-Materials Industry (North Korea) (16), counting both ownership and operatorship. Half of North Korea's mapped assets in service predate 1976 (median commissioning year of the 44 with a known date), 5 came online in the past decade and the oldest still listed is Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex steel plant, dating from 1914. 4 projects are under construction or proposed, led by Taechon Youth No 2 hydroelectric plant (400 MW).

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87
Total assets
#66
of 157 countries
6.3 GW
operating · 24 power plants
4
In construction / proposed

Operating generation capacity by fuel

Utility-scale sites of 100 MW and above. Distributed generation — rooftop solar especially — is outside the tracker, so this runs below national installed capacity.

Electricity generated by fuel · 2024

What the fleet actually produced — distinct from the installed capacity above.

Total 27.1 TWhDemand 27.1 TWhClean 63%Intensity 341 gCO₂/kWh

Ember · source · CC-BY-4.0

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Browse by asset class

Power grid 1,554 kmPower Plants 24Iron Ore Mines 19Cement Plants 16Coal & Uranium Mines 15Export Terminals 5Iron & Steel Plants 5Chemical Plants 3

Under construction & proposed

Largest assets

Biggest owners & operators

Counts an asset once per company named as its owner or operator; a joint venture counts for each partner.

Frequently asked

How many energy assets does North Korea have?
OverWatts maps 87 in North Korea across 7 asset classes — the 66th-largest mapped base of the 157 countries covered.
How much electricity generation capacity does North Korea have?
About 6.3 GW operating across 21 plants, mostly coal 51% and hydro 49%.
Who owns North Korea's energy infrastructure?
Ministry of Metallurgical Industry (North Korea) is named as owner or operator on the most mapped assets (19), followed by North Korea Ministry of Metallurgical Industry (19), Ministry of Construction and Building-Materials Industry (North Korea) (16) and Government of North Korea (4).
What energy projects are under construction in North Korea?
The largest under way or proposed are Taechon Youth No 2 hydroelectric plant (400 MW), Taechon Youth No 1 hydroelectric plant (150 MW) and Tangshan Iron and Steel Kim Chaek plant.