Gwangju City Accelerates Development of Nam-gu Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex and Energy Valley General Industrial Complex

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City is accelerating the development of the Nam-gu Urban High-tech Industrial Complex and the Energy Valley General Industrial Complex, which will serve as the core hubs of the nation’s first designated Energy Industry Convergence Complex.

According to Gwangju City on the 28th, the Energy Convergence Complex spans a total area of 8.4㎢, including the Urban High-tech Industrial Complex, Energy Valley General Industrial Complex, Pyeong-dong Industrial Complex 1~3, Advanced Industrial Complex 1~3, and Bitgreen Industrial Complex. Among these, the Urban High-tech Industrial Complex and Energy Valley General Industrial Complex will play key hub roles.

The Urban High-tech Industrial Complex, located in the Apchon and Jiseok-dong areas of Nam-gu, covers approximately 150,000 pyeong and is scheduled for completion next month. The complex development has already been completed, and final procedures such as confirmed surveying and Ministry of Land approval are underway.

The Energy Valley General Industrial Complex currently shows a 56% progress rate and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The Urban High-tech Industrial Complex has signed occupancy agreements with 37 energy-related institutions and companies, including the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, LS Industrial Systems, and InCell, while the Energy Valley General Industrial Complex has agreements with 32 institutions and companies, including Hyosung Comprehensive Technology.

So far, the Urban High-tech Industrial Complex boasts a high sales rate of 74.1%, and the Energy Valley General Industrial Complex is recruiting tenant companies until the end of the year.

In particular, the Urban High-tech Industrial Complex houses the Gwangju Regional Headquarters of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, the Gwangju Center of the Korea Basic Science Institute, and InCell, all of which are operating their facilities.

The Gwangju Regional Headquarters of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, which opened in July last year, is one of the world’s top three internationally accredited testing and certification organizations and was established as a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

It is the only specialized electrical research institute in Korea that has effectively conducted research and development in various electrical fields such as power grid renewable energy, battery and nano, and electrical materials technology.

The Gwangju branch of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute is expected to play a pivotal role as a research and testing hub in the power energy sector for the southwestern region, helping the Nam-gu Urban High-tech Industrial Complex and Energy Valley General Industrial Complex, the core areas of the convergence complex, to emerge as a mecca for new energy industries.

Additionally, by next year, a 5,600㎡ comprehensive support center for the convergence complex will be established in the Urban High-tech Industrial Complex, consisting of one basement floor and four above-ground floors. This center will serve as a control tower for the complex, providing startup incubation spaces, shared factory facilities, open labs for research institutions, and support for research and development and enterprises.

Following the completion of preliminary administrative procedures such as shared property and public building reviews last year, architectural design will be finalized by November, with construction starting by the end of this year and completion planned for next year.

The building will serve as a pilot model for a carbon-neutral, energy self-sufficient city by 2045. It will be a zero-energy building based entirely on renewable energy, featuring passive functions that minimize heat loss and active functions that allow direct electricity generation. Renewable energy facilities will be installed on the building, parking lots, and other idle spaces.

Gwangju City expects that the designation of the Urban High-tech Industrial Complex and Energy Valley General Industrial Complex as Economic Free Zones (Smart Energy Industrial Districts I & II) in June last year will further accelerate the creation of an energy new industry ecosystem through foreign company attraction and industrial development.

The Energy Industry Convergence Complex was first designated nationwide in November 2019.

The energy industries to be focused on in the Gwangju Convergence Complex are energy efficiency improvement and smart grid sectors, with expectations of creating 2,200 new jobs, attracting 110 companies, and generating a production inducement effect of 720 billion KRW by 2024.

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