S. Korea ramps up production of urea solution amid supply shortage

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's production of urea solution, a key fluid needed in diesel cars to cut emissions, has surpassed the amount of its daily demand for the first time, data showed Tuesday, as the country is struggling to address its supply shortage.

Daily production of urea solution came to 683,000 liters Monday, higher than the 600,000 liters needed for diesel vehicles per day, according to the government.

It is the first time that daily output has exceeded the average daily demand since the country was gripped by a supply crunch of the liquid in recent weeks.

South Korea is making a flurry of diplomatic efforts to secure urea and its solution from other countries to avert a potential logistics crisis amid a supply crunch caused by China's curbs on exports of urea.

Last month, China tightened export procedures of urea amid a power crisis caused by a coal supply shortage. Coal is the main feedstock to produce urea.

South Korea said 97.6 percent of its urea imports came from China in the first nine months of this year, up from 88 percent in 2020, underscoring its heavy reliance on the resource-rich neighbor for the key material.

A local manufacturer has begun producing some 2 million liters of the solution and 700 tons of urea has been uncovered by state inspection teams in a crackdown on hoarding.

Last year, South Korea imported 80,000 tons of urea, an amount sufficient to produce around 240 million liters of urea solution for diesel cars.

The government said it is expected to secure a five-month stockpile of urea solution for vehicles through imports and other means.

The country started Tuesday to release details about the daily stockpile of the solution at some 100 gas stations across the nation.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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