Gangdong-gu Selected for Ministry of Industry's 'Eco-friendly Smart Energy City Development Project' Competition

Government Support Fund of 2.4 Billion Won Invested, Largest Support Amount Among Local Governments Nationwide... Establishing Energy Self-Reliant Ecosystem Through Expansion of Renewable Energy and Improvement of Energy Efficiency

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced on the 22nd that its project, “Gangdong-gu Green New Deal Technology Localization for the Creation of an Eco-friendly Smart Energy City,” was finally selected in the ‘2021 Regional New Energy Industry Activation Support Project’ competition hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The Regional New Energy Industry Activation Support Project is a government competition aimed at actively fostering new energy industries tailored to regional characteristics. When selected, the government supports 25% of the project cost.

To promote this project, Gangdong-gu signed a business agreement with Korea East-West Power in September last year to build an eco-friendly smart energy city by supplying eco-friendly energy and improving energy efficiency. They surveyed a total of 102 project sites and developed new energy industry business models suitable for the Gangdong-gu area.

The “Gangdong-gu Eco-friendly Smart Energy City Creation Project” is being promoted by a consortium consisting of Gangdong-gu, Korea East-West Power, and Synergy. Of the total project cost of 9.6 billion KRW, the government and local government each contribute 2.4 billion KRW, and the remaining 4.8 billion KRW is borne by Korea East-West Power, making it the largest support scale among local governments nationwide.

This project targets facilities and buildings within Gangdong-gu and aims to ▲install renewable energy facilities (fuel cells, solar power) ▲build energy storage systems (to reduce power peaks), reduce fine dust and greenhouse gases ▲improve energy self-sufficiency rate to establish a sustainable low-carbon green city.

In particular, this project will apply the country’s first 1MW-class 4th generation polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), establishing a low-temperature operated, safe, and space-efficient urban-type fuel cell. It plans to produce 8,059 MWh of electricity annually (enough for 2,757 households) and supply byproduct heat to the local area to maximize energy efficiency.

Due to energy cost savings using renewable energy generation and energy storage devices, it is expected to reduce 2 million tons of greenhouse gases annually and generate approximately 1.7 billion KRW in annual revenue. Part of the power generation revenue will be used to issue Gangdong Love Gift Certificates and support electricity and heating bills for about 13,000 socially vulnerable people in Gangdong-gu.

Additionally, the established system will be continuously managed during the project period through real-time monitoring and energy use optimization support at the ‘MSP Center,’ a comprehensive energy management center located at the headquarters of Korea East-West Power.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “I hope this project will be a cornerstone for Gangdong-gu to advance as an eco-friendly smart energy city. We will continue to do our best to lead the Green New Deal by actively reducing greenhouse gases, creating a low-carbon energy self-sufficient ecosystem, and building ‘Green City Gangdong’ where current and future generations coexist.”

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