1 out of 2 Solar Power Plants in Gyeonggi-do Lacks 'Adequate Safety Measures'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been revealed that half of the medium-sized solar power plants installed in Gyeonggi-do are at risk due to the absence of safety signboards and soil erosion.

Gyeonggi-do formed a joint inspection team with the mountain management departments of cities and counties within the province and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation from June to July to inspect 74 medium-sized mountain solar power plants with a capacity exceeding 500kW. On the 17th, they announced that 37 sites were found to have issues such as ▲ module damage and the internal fastening condition of supports and inverters ▲ drainage facilities, soil erosion, and leakage ▲ installation of high-voltage safety signboards ▲ installation of power plant information signboards for prompt response in case of accidents.

In one case, at the A Solar Power Plant in Yeoncheon-gun, no information signboard was installed at the entrance of the power plant, and the drainage installation was insufficient, causing ground erosion. Accordingly, the province instructed the operator to attach the information signboard and requested Yeoncheon-gun to issue a defect repair order for the mountain-use exclusive site.

At the B Solar Power Plant in Yeoju-si, the foundation supports were exposed externally, and ground erosion occurred. The province recommended Yeoju-si to order repair work for the foundation supports and ground restoration.

If the power plant operator does not comply with the disaster prevention order, measures such as cancellation of mountain-use permits, suspension of the solar power generation business, and demolition of facilities can be taken. Also, if the defect repair order is not followed, the mountain management department of the city or county can appoint an agent to carry out repairs using the deposited defect repair guarantee funds.

After this joint inspection, the province also proposed an amendment to the Electricity Business Act to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 6th, so that a development activity completion inspection is conducted prior to the start of electricity business.

This is because some solar power plants were found to generate profits after signing power supply contracts with Korea Electric Power Corporation without undergoing development activity completion inspections.

Currently, according to the National Land Planning and Utilization Act, a completion inspection is conducted after construction is completed to evaluate safety aspects such as proper drainage construction and the possibility of soil erosion. However, under Article 9 of the current Electricity Business Act, there is no obligation to precede the electricity business commencement report with a development activity completion inspection.

As a result, cases occur where power supply contracts are made before completion inspections, and business starts without undergoing the inspection, leaving the safety of facilities unevaluated and the risk of disasters remaining, according to the province's assessment.

Therefore, the province proposed adding a clause to Article 9 of the Electricity Business Act stating, "A person who has obtained a development activity permit under Article 56 of the National Land Planning and Utilization Act must start the business after receiving a development activity completion inspection under Article 62 of the same Act."

Kim Kyung-seop, Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Division of the province, said, "We will cooperate with related organizations to prevent disasters at mountain solar power plants," and added, "We will strive for the safety of residents by proposing improvements to the central government regarding legal deficiencies."

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