Hampyeong-gun Takes Strong Action Against Illegal Occupation of State-Owned Land by Solar Power Facilities

68 Cases of Incomplete Completion Inspections for Development Activities Fully Investigated

[Hampyeong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Hampyeong County has investigated and administratively sanctioned a solar power plant in Sonbul-myeon, Hampyeong-gun, which has recently been embroiled in controversy over illegal occupation of national land.

On the 22nd, Hampyeong County announced that despite the deadline for correction having passed, the demolition of a solar power facility in Sonbul-myeon was not completed, and it was considered a violation of the National Land Planning and Utilization Act, leading to a complaint filed on the 14th.

Article 62 of the National Land Planning and Utilization Act and Article 11 of the Enforcement Rules of the same Act stipulate that “a person who has received permission for development activities must submit an application for completion inspection immediately after completing the development activities and undergo a completion inspection by the county governor.”

Currently, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) holds concentrated authority from permitting solar power projects to power supply.

As a result, KEPCO concludes power supply contracts even with projects that have not undergone completion inspections for development activities, as long as they have a power generation business permit, business registration certificate, and development activity permit.

In this regard, Hampyeong County requested data from KEPCO on 68 cases where completion inspections for development activities were not completed, and upon review, confirmed that power supply contracts had been signed with KEPCO for 10 solar power facilities among them.

Accordingly, the county took administrative action against solar power plants that are operating commercially without having undergone completion inspections for development activities and without fulfilling the business commencement notification required under the Electricity Business Act, despite having signed power supply contracts with KEPCO.

The county notified that completion must be carried out immediately regardless of the scheduled completion deadline, and if there are violations, administrative sanctions will be imposed according to relevant laws.

Furthermore, if violations related to illegal occupation of farmland or national land are not corrected in the future, strong measures will be taken in accordance with relevant laws.

A county official stated, “We will continue to review closely in cooperation with related departments when granting development activity permits, and will ensure thorough management of business sites even after permits are issued.”

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