Restoration of the 'Old Dongbaekjeong Beach' on the Closed Site of Chungnam Seocheon Thermal Power Plant

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The old Dongbaekjeong Beach, which disappeared due to the construction of a thermal power plant, is being restored to its original state. This is the world's first case of restoring a closed thermal power plant site to its former appearance.

According to Chungnam Province on the 28th, a groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of Dongbaekjeong Beach was held at the Seocheon Thermal Power Plant site on the same day.

Dongbaekjeong Beach, located next to the Camellia forest in Maryang-ri, Seocheon, designated as Natural Monument No. 169 in 1965, and Dongbaekjeong Pavilion, boasted the most scenic views on the west coast. It was also once considered one of the four major beaches in Korea.

However, the beach was reclaimed and lost to memory with the construction of the Seocheon Thermal Power Plant in 1978.

The restoration of Dongbaekjeong Beach was discussed after the Seocheon Thermal Power Plant was shut down in September 2017 following 33 years of operation.

After the closure of the thermal power plant, local residents, Seocheon County, and Korea Midland Power Co. held consultations on post-closure utilization and agreed to promote the Dongbaekjeong Beach restoration project.

Specifically, Midland Power plans to invest 64.8 billion KRW by 2023 to dismantle the power plant and restore the reclaimed land and beach covering an area of 272,306㎡. Additionally, 6.3 billion KRW will be invested to install auxiliary facilities such as an observatory, zipline, and ecological park as part of the restoration plan.

During the site restoration period, the construction of a resort with approximately 300 rooms will also be pursued.

The province expects that the restoration of Dongbaekjeong Beach will secure a new tourism hub on the southwestern coast of Chungnam.

Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, stated, “Starting with the early closure of Boryeong Thermal Power Units 1 and 2 in December last year, we plan to shut down 28 thermal power plants in the province by 2050,” adding, “The closed thermal power plant sites will be utilized as part of energy transition policies, either converted to renewable energy or developed for alternative industries.”

He also emphasized, “The restoration of Dongbaekjeong Beach in Seocheon will become a new standard and model for just energy transition,” and “We hope that the thermal power plant will be reborn as a tourist destination, bringing new vitality to the region and becoming a new driving force for local economic growth.”

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