Jeonnam Province, Village Community Solar Power Plant 'First Operation'

Yeongam Hyeseong Cooperative 75kW Power Plant Completed, Annual Revenue Expected to Reach 24 Million Won

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] In Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, the first ‘Village Community Solar Power Plant’ linked to residents' income has been completed and put into operation.

On the 1st, Jeollanam-do announced that it invested 85 million won, including 40 million won from the provincial government, in the ‘Village Community Solar Power Plant Installation Support Project’ in Sehong Village, Geumjeong-myeon, Yeongam-gun, installing a 75 kW solar power plant on the roof of a shared workshop used by village residents, the first of its kind in Jeollanam-do.

With this power plant installation, an annual operating profit of 24 million won is expected, and it is anticipated that the profits will be used to expand village community projects and various welfare programs.

Until now, solar power projects have excluded local residents and have become a means for outsiders to make money, causing frequent conflicts between project operators and local residents, making project promotion difficult.

Accordingly, since 2018, Jeollanam-do has been promoting the ‘Village Community Solar Power Plant Installation Support Project,’ where village residents directly participate in renewable energy projects, selling electricity produced by the power plant to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to generate residents' income.

Villages wishing to participate must form a village cooperative corporation with at least five members, prepare the foundation such as development activity permits, power system connection, and power plant location, and apply through the eup, myeon, or dong office.

Jeollanam-do selects two villages annually from the applicants and supports 40 million won in provincial funds per site.

Selected villages receive comprehensive administrative support from experts at the Jeonnam Green Energy Research Institute, including various permit applications needed from the project planning stage to the start of commercial operation, preparation of design documents, KEPCO line connection costs, and resident briefings.

Seo Sooncheol, Director of the Energy New Industry Division of Jeollanam-do, said, “Village resident participation-type power projects can lead to increased farm income and foster village enterprises, greatly helping sustainable community maintenance and job creation,” and urged, “We hope many villages will apply in the future.”

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