Gunsan Port 2nd Dredged Soil Disposal Site Selected as Preliminary Feasibility Study Project

Published 04 Nov.2021 12:47(KST)

Passed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance's National Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee... 428.7 Billion Won National Budget Investment

Gunsan Port 2nd Dredged Soil Disposal Site Selected as Preliminary Feasibility Study Project

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] Jeonbuk Province announced on the 4th that the Gunsan Port's long-awaited project, the construction of the Gunsan Port 2nd Dredged Soil Disposal Site, has been selected as a preliminary feasibility study project by the National Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee.

According to Jeonbuk Province, due to the characteristics of the Hagutdud Port, annual maintenance dredging is necessary, making the securing of a disposal site for dredged soil absolutely essential. Currently, Geumrando, which is being used as a disposal site, is already saturated, making the urgent securing of an additional disposal site critical.

Accordingly, in December last year, the 2nd dredged soil disposal site project was reflected in the basic port plan and applied as a preliminary feasibility study project, but it was not selected due to reasons such as reviewing the possibility of using Saemangeum Industrial Complex reclamation soil.

Jeonbuk Province then verified the project's economic feasibility and validity through a preliminary feasibility review by a specialized institution in March this year for logical response, and after continuous consultations and proposals with related agencies such as the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as active cooperation from local political circles, achieved the great success of being finally selected in this evaluation.

The Gunsan Port 2nd Dredged Soil Disposal Site construction project is expected to begin as early as 2023 after passing the preliminary feasibility study by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) in the first half of next year, followed by basic design and other processes.

In particular, with a national budget investment of 428.7 billion KRW on the side of the western breakwater next to Pier 7 of Gunsan Port, it will be constructed on a scale of 4,170m of revetment, 1,160m of auxiliary revetment, and 2.15 million square meters, to be used as a dredged soil disposal site for Gunsan Port for the next 30 years.

The economic effect of constructing the 2nd disposal site is expected to exceed 1.1 trillion KRW.

Above all, a new site of 2.15 million square meters, equivalent to 75% of Yeouido's area, will be created, enabling the utilization of a port hinterland complex, which Gunsan Port currently lacks, thus expecting a triple effect.

Song Ha-jin, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, said, “I consider the selection of the 2nd dredged soil disposal site as a preliminary feasibility study project, which is the biggest issue for Gunsan Port, very meaningful,” and added, “I expect it to become a milestone that revitalizes Gunsan Port and the regional economy through the construction of the disposal site.”