The Largest Solar Power Complex in Korea Established in Taean, Chungnam

Location map of the abandoned salt fields and abandoned ranch sites in Jungjang-ri, Anmyeon-eup, Taean-gun, where the solar power complex will be established. Provided by Taean-gun.

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province will create the largest solar power complex in South Korea on currently unused abandoned salt fields and abandoned ranch sites.

According to the province on the 11th, the solar power complex is planned to be built on 900,000 pyeong (2.97 million square meters) of abandoned salt fields and ranch sites in Jungjang-ri, Anmyeon-eup, Taean-gun.

The Taean solar power complex is scheduled to complete administrative procedures in the second half of this year, begin construction thereafter, and aim to start commercial operation in the second half of next year. The generation capacity is expected to be 300 MW annually, making it the largest in the country.

The province signed a business agreement the day before with Taean-gun and Taean Anmyeon Clean Energy for the “Creation of a Taean Anmyeon Regional Win-Win Solar Power Complex.”

The agreement was made to gradually phase out coal-fired power plants distributed in the Chungnam region, expand renewable energy production capacity, and ensure the effectiveness of solar power complex development.

Based on the agreement, the participating organizations plan to mutually cooperate to expand the supply of new and renewable energy for Chungnam’s transition to a carbon-neutral society, as well as to revitalize the local economy and tourism.

To this end, the province and Taean-gun will provide administrative support such as permits necessary for the construction and operation of the integrated solar power plant, while Taean Anmyeon Clean Energy will oversee project development and implementation.

In particular, Taean Anmyeon Clean Energy plans to allocate more than 100 billion KRW out of the total construction cost of 500 billion KRW required for building the solar power plant to companies in Taean and other Chungnam areas, and prioritize hiring local residents as construction workers to contribute to regional win-win development.

Additionally, after the power plant is completed, local residents and companies will participate in the operation process, and a total of 3.1 MW scale community power plants will be donated to five nearby villages. Tourism and public facilities will be developed on the idle land spanning 1 million pyeong.

In the Taean solar power project, Shinhan Financial Group is responsible for financial procurement, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction handles EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) and cooperation with local companies, Korea Western Power purchases Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) and manages power plant operation and maintenance (Q&M), and Lantern A&I is in charge of project planning and overall management.

Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, said, “Chungnam plans to sequentially shut down 12 coal-fired power plants operating in the region by 2032 in line with the times,” adding, “Expanding the supply of renewable energy is an inevitable task linked to the closure of coal-fired power plants, and the Taean solar power complex project will serve as a milestone for Chungnam’s transition to renewable energy.”

He also added, “We will do our best to ensure that the creation of a large-scale solar power complex revitalizes the local economy and leads to win-win development with local residents.”

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