• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.751-774
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• 2008

In this paper, we examine the institutional prices differences in the electricity and natural gas industries using unbalanced panel data from 1999 to 2001. The changing market structures following deregulation in both markets allow us to examine the institutional prices differences by ownership type, market structure and merger activities. Estimating the reduced form, after controlling both intrinsic characteristic (marginal costs) and external factors (demand), allows us to identify the extent to which specific factors are correlated with the price. Furthermore it allows us to identify systematic institutional price differences in both electricity and natural gas markets. Our estimation results suggest that the private firms in electricity markets are associated with higher prices than public firms after controlling for demand and cost. We further find that dual-product firms in the natural gas industry and the electricity industry are associated with lower rates than single product firms. These results provide a weak evidence of economies of scope in the dual-product firms. Our results finally suggest that merger activities in natural gas markets are associated with higher rates.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.380-386
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• 2020

This paper represents an analysis of the economic impact of firing natural gas/diesel and natural gas/by-product oil mixtures in diesel engine power plants. The objects of analysis is a power plant with electricity generation capacity (300 kW). Using performance data of original diesel engines, the fuel consumption characteristics of the duel fuel engines were simulated. Then, economic assessment was carried out using the performance data and the net present value method. A special focus was given to the evaluation of fuel cost saving when firing natural gas/diesel and natural gas/by-product oil mixtures instead of the pure diesel firing case. Analyses were performed by assuming fuel price changes in the market as well as by using current prices. The analysis results showed that co-firing of natural gas/diesel and natural gas/by-product oil would provide considerable fuel cost saving, leading to meaningful economic benefits.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.412-419
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• 2012

Increasing demand for natural gas and higher natural gas prices in the recent decades have led many people to pursue unconventional methods of natural gas production. POSCO-Gwangyang synthetic natural gas (SNG) project was launched in 2010. As the market price of natural gas goes up, the increase of its price gets more sensitive due to the high cost of transportation and liquefaction. This project can make the SNG economically viable. In parallel with this project, KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) joined in launching the SNG Quality Standard Bureau along with KOGAS (Korea Gas Corporation), POSCO and so on. KEPCO Research Institute is in charge of SNG fueled gas turbine combustion test. In this research, several combustion tests were conducted to find out the effect of hydrogen contents in SNG on gas turbine combustion. The hydrogen in synthetic natural gas did not affect on gas turbine combustion characteristics which are turbine inlet temperature including pattern factor and emission performance. However, flame stable region in ${\Phi}$-Air flow rate map was shifted to the lean condition due to autocatalytic effect of hydrogen.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.167-198
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• 2023

Purpose - This paper aims to compare and analyze the co-movements and information spillover effects between the international commodity futures markets and the South Korean stock markets during the COVID-19 and the 2008 financial crises. Design/methodology - The DCC-GARCH model is used in the co-movements analysis. In contrast, the BEKK-GARCH model is used to evaluate information spillover effects. The statistical data used is from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2022. It comprises the Korea Composite Stock Price Index data and daily international commodity futures prices of natural gas, West Texas Intermediate crude oil, gold, silver, copper, nickel, soybean, and wheat. Findings - The results of the co-movement analysis were as follows: First, it was shown that the co-movements between the international commodity futures markets and the South Korean stock markets were temporarily strengthened when the COVID-19 and 2008 financial crises occurred. Second, the South Korean stock markets were shown to have high correlations with the copper, nickel, and crude oil futures markets. The results of the information spillover effects analysis are as follows: First, before the 2008 financial crisis, four commodity futures markets (natural gas, gold, copper, and wheat) were shown to be in two-way leading relationships with the South Korean stock markets. In contrast, seven commodity futures markets, except for the natural gas futures market, were shown to be in two-way leading relationships with the South Korean stock markets after the financial crisis. Second, before the COVID-19 crisis, most international commodity futures markets, excluding natural gas and crude oil future markets, were shown to have led the South Korean stock markets in one direction. Third, it was revealed that after the COVID-19 crisis, the connections between the South Korean stock markets and the international commodity futures markets, except for natural gas, crude oil, and gold, were completely severed. Originality/value - Useful information for portfolio strategy establishment can be provided to investors through the results of this study. In addition, it is judged that financial policy authorities can utilize the results as data for efficient regulation of the financial market and policy establishment.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.211-231
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• 2002

This paper summarizes the results of a study that assess how a demand side management (DSM) system addresses key economic and environmental challenges facing in the Korean natural gas sector considering; ${\bullet}$ high discrepancies of seasonal consumption volume and of load factor in unmatured domestic LNG market, ${\bullet}$ unfavorable and volatile international LNG market, imposing with the contestable "take-or-pay" contract terms, ${\bullet}$ low profile of LNG and existence of market barriers against an optimal fuel mix status in the industrial energy sector. A particular focus of this study is to establish an 'extended' DSM system in the unmatured gas market, especially in industry sector, that could play a key role to assure an optimum fuel mix scheme. Under the concept of 'extended' DSM, a system dynamics modeling approach has been introduced to explore the option to maximize economic benefits in terms of the national energy system optimization, entailing different ways of commitments accounting for different DSM measures and time delay scenarios. The study concludes that policy options exist that can reduce inefficiencies in gas industry and end-use system at no net costs to national economy. The most scenarios find that, by the year 2015, it is possible to develop a substantial potential of increased industrial gas end-uses under more reliable and stable load patterns. Assessment of sensitivity analysis suggests that time delay factor, in formulating DSM scenarios, plays a key role to overcome various market barriers in domestic LNG market and provides a strong justification for the policy portfolios 'just in time' (time accurateness), which eventually contribute to establish an optimum fuel mix strategy. The study indicates also the needs of advanced studies based on SD approach to articulate uncertainty in unmatured energy market analysis, including gas.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-89
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• 2020

We introduce a simple theoretical model to analyze the welfare impact of a competition policy in the natural gas market in South Korea. An incumbent monopolistic firm currently owns essential facilities, but the competition policy mandates that the firm provide open access to any entrant firm, charging an access fee. When no regulation is imposed on the fee pricing, this policy increases social welfare as well as the profit of the incumbent firm. When the pricing is regulated, however, social welfare depends on whether there is information asymmetry between the government and the firm regarding the operating cost of the facilities. If the government has complete information, social welfare can be maximized by choosing the optimal prices. Otherwise, the government has to set the prices based on the information that the firm delivers. We formulate a Bayesian game to analyze this case and identify a set of perfect Bayesian equilibria to compare social welfare.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.87-106
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• 2022

Uncertainties in the energy market are increasing due to technology developments (shale revolution), trade wars, COVID-19, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Especially, since 2020, the risk of international trade in the energy market has increased significantly due to changes in the supply chain of transportation and due to prolonged demand reduction because of COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war. Considering these points, this study analyzed connectedness between energy price, tanker index, and uncertainty to understand the connectedness between international trade in the energy market. Main results are summarized as follows. First, as a result of analyzing stable period and unstable period of the energy price model using the MS-VAR model, it was confirmed that both the crude oil market model and the natural gas market model had a higher probability of maintaining stable period than unstable period, increasing volatility by specific events. Second, looking at the results of the analysis of the connectedness between stable period and unstable period of the energy market, it was confirmed that in the case of total connectedness, connectedness between variables was increased in the unstable period compared to the stable period. In the case of the energy market stable period, considering the degree of connectedness, it was confirmed that the effect of the tanker freight index, which represents the demand-side factor, was significant. Third, unstable period of the natural gas market model increases rapidly compared to the crude oil market model, indicating that the volatility spillover effect of the natural gas market is greater when uncertainties affecting energy prices increase compared to the crude oil market.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.192-202
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• 2013

The domestic demand of natural gas has increased continuously due to the sudden rise of oil price and regulations on greenhouse gas to global warming. In order to improve the supply security of natural gas market in Korea, the agreement on supply of pipeline natural gas (PNG) in Russia was signed between Gazprom and Korea Gas Corporation in 2008. If the supply plan of Russian natural gas is realized, underground storage facilities would be required in order to balance supply and demand of natural gas because the gas demand is concentrated in the winter. This study investigated the safety of the storage facility in quantitative way considering several design parameters such as gas pressure, depth of the storage cavern, rock condition and in-situ horizontal stress ratio. Two dimensional stress analyses were conducted using axi- symmetry condition to examine the behavior of cavern depending upon suggested design parameters. Results showed that the factor of safety, defined as the ratio of 'shear strength'/'shear stress', was largely affected by the depth, rock class and gas pressure but was insensitive to the coefficient of lateral pressure(Ko).

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.145-170
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• 2020

This study analyzes the dependence structure between energy (crude oil, natural gas, coal) prices and economic (real and financial) uncertainty. Summary of the results of the dependence structure between energy prices and economic uncertainty analysis is as follows. First, the results of model selection show that the BB7 copula model for the pair of crude oil price and economic uncertainty, the Joe copula model for the pair of natural gas price and economic uncertainty, and the Clayton copula model for the pair of coal price and economic uncertainty were chosen. Second, looking at the dependency structure, it showed that the pair of energy (crude oil, natural gas, coal) prices and real market uncertainty show positive dependence. Whereas, the only pair of financial market uncertainty-crude oil price shows positive dependency. In particular, crude oil price was found to have the greatest dependence on economic uncertainty. Third, looking at the results of tail dependency, the pair of real market uncertainty-crude oil price and pair of real market uncertainty-natural gas price have an asymmetric relationship with the upper tail dependency. It can be seen that the only pair of financial market uncertainty-crude oil represents asymmetric relationships with the upper tail dependencies. In other words, combinations with asymmetric relationships have shown strong dependence when negative extreme events occur. On the other hand, tail dependence between economic uncertainty and coal price be not found.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.63-66
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• 2005

In 2000, the EU set up an energy policy related renewables use for electricity demand up to $22\%$ on the purpose of preventing energy exhaustion and world climate exchange. Technology development and energy production policy on coal, oil and natural gas focus on how to minimize their environmental effects since the world energy system will continue to be dominated by fossil fuels with almost $90\%$ of total energy supply in 2030. In the long run, the EU drives expansion policy of the renewable energy. If related policies and programs will show successful operation in the near future and will be resulted in increase of budget, we could expect the possibility of expansion of renewable energy market in Korea in the future.