Pohang City Proposes Establishment of Research Institute in Pohang Earthquake Special Act Enforcement Decree

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Young-wook] Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province, has proposed to the central government the establishment of a research institute to ensure the safety of the Pohang geothermal power plant site.

Pohang City announced on the 10th that it submitted a review opinion on the establishment of a research institute to the government ahead of the enforcement decree of the "Special Act on the Investigation of the Truth and Relief of Damage of the Pohang Earthquake."

The "Task Force for Safety Review of the Pohang Geothermal Power Plant Site," which was active last year, concluded that "the Pohang geothermal power plant site is stabilizing over time, but unresolved stress remains at the end of the fault related to the Pohang earthquake, requiring long-term observation of the geothermal well underground water level and microseismic activity."

In Basel, Switzerland, where an earthquake occurred due to geothermal power generation like in Pohang, operations were suspended after the 2006 earthquake, followed by three years of risk analysis, and aftershocks have continued to this day, with the Swiss Seismological Service continuously monitoring the area.

Lee Yoon-woo, head of the Future Strategy Industry Division of the city, said, "To manage the Pohang geothermal power plant site safely, it is necessary to secure the Pohang geothermal power plant site and establish a national public research institute at the government level to enable precise long-term observation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.