South Korea confirms plans to step up shift to renewable power

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's energy ministry on Tuesday said it had finalised plans to raise the share of the country's power output generated from renewable sources to as much as 35 percent by 2040.

The plan was largely unchanged from a draft released in mid-April that aimed to boost renewable power generation more than four-fold from current levels, while reducing coal and nuclear power.

Asia's fourth-largest economy is shifting towards cleaner energy amid growing criticism over its air quality.

At present, coal power accounts for about 40% of the country's total electricity needs, while renewable power makes up nearly 8%.

(Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by Joseph Radford)