Chuncheon, Seocheon, Hongcheon, and Hwasun Build 'Village Power Plants' and Conduct RE100 Demonstrations

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 27th that it has selected four sites for this year's 'Agriculture and Rural RE100 Demonstration Support Project.' RE100 stands for Renewable Energy 100%, a global campaign aiming to cover 100% of electricity consumption with renewable energy.

Following a nationwide public contest targeting cities and counties, the Ministry conducted a final evaluation on the 24th and selected Chuncheon in Gangwon, Seocheon and Hongseong in Chungnam, and Hwasun in Jeonnam as the final sites.

This project aims to demonstrate RE100 in rural villages through renewable energy production and energy efficiency improvements. The selected sites will receive a package of support including consulting such as village energy usage diagnosis, installation of joint renewable energy power generation facilities (village power plants) on idle village land, installation of self-consumption renewable energy generation facilities in agricultural production, processing, distribution facilities or residences, and energy efficiency remodeling of shared facilities such as senior centers and village halls. Each site will receive funding of 1.786 billion KRW over two years.

The selected villages will proceed with site selection, facility operation, and management based on residents' consent. In particular, village power plants will be operated and managed by local residents, and the profits from power generation will be used for welfare projects for energy-vulnerable groups in the region and village community funds.

Yoo Miseon, head of the Rural Renewable Energy Team at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "We selected areas where residents showed high interest in the project and local governments demonstrated strong commitment." She added, "Expanding the distribution of renewable energy in rural areas will not only reduce electricity bills but also help improve the environment of communal living facilities."

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