Seoul's New Waste Incineration Plant in Mapo Sangam... Mapo District Opposes "Unilateral Decision Withdrawal"

Construction of new underground facilities on Sangam site by 2026... Existing facilities to be demolished by 2035
Mapo-gu "Unilateral decision without prior consultation"... "Will actively respond in cooperation with residents"
Seoul City to promote modernization of facilities in other areas as well

Location Candidate Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to construct a new Resource Recovery Facility underground on the site of the existing 'Resource Recovery Facility' located in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu. The city plans to install the new facility next to the current one by 2026 and demolish the existing facility by 2035. However, with Mapo-gu strongly opposing this decision, significant challenges are expected in advancing the project.

On the 31st, Seoul announced that the Metropolitan Resource Recovery Facility Site Selection Committee, through a final evaluation, selected the current Mapo Resource Recovery Facility site as the optimal candidate location.

Previously, the committee, through a professional service agency, surveyed over 60,000 locations across Seoul and selected 36 sites that met the minimum site area requirement (15,000㎡). After applying exclusion criteria, the 36 candidate sites were narrowed down to five. A quantitative evaluation was then conducted across five categories (location, social, environmental, technical, economic) and 28 items, resulting in the selection of the Sangam-dong site, where the current Mapo Resource Recovery Facility is located, as the optimal candidate site.

According to the Site Selection Committee, the Sangam-dong candidate site in Mapo received excellent evaluations across all five categories. Social conditions were highly rated due to the absence of residential households within the 300m impact zone and the fact that the site is already designated as a waste treatment facility, eliminating the need for urban planning facility approval. Additionally, as city-owned land, there are no costs or procedures required for land acquisition, and economic conditions were favorably evaluated compared to other candidates because incineration heat can be easily utilized for district heating.

Location Candidate Site

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to transform the existing Resource Recovery Facility into a premium landmark that harmonizes well with the surrounding parks and waterfront spaces, making it a popular destination for Seoul citizens and tourists. The facility will be equipped with world-class pollution control equipment and state-of-the-art automation systems to ensure a safe and clean environment. Emission standards will be strengthened to a level ten times stricter than the legal limits, managing the facility more rigorously than existing Resource Recovery Facilities as well as those in Europe and Japan.

In particular, Seoul plans to invest approximately 100 billion KRW to create resident benefit facilities such as swimming pools and play areas reflecting local residents' opinions near the Mapo Sangam-dong site, and establish an annual fund of 10 billion KRW to be used for improving residents' welfare and regional development.

The new facility will have a daily waste processing capacity of 1,000 tons, which is 250 tons more than the existing facility. However, this does not meet the additional required capacity of 1,000 tons, so alternative solutions are needed. Seoul plans to modernize other Resource Recovery Facilities in different areas to handle the remaining 750 tons.

A Seoul city official explained, "A modernization study for the existing facilities is underway," adding, "The aging facilities in Yangcheon and Nowon require modernization."

In response to Seoul's decision, Mapo-gu immediately demanded a full withdrawal. Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, issued a statement calling the decision a significant violation of regional equity that forces greater sacrifices on residents, urging a complete cancellation. He expressed serious concerns and regrets over the unilateral process and announcement without prior consultation, stating, "We will actively respond together with residents to revoke the decision."

Seoul plans to maintain communication with residents throughout all stages of constructing the Resource Recovery Facility, reflecting their opinions. Once the candidate site selection results are announced and the strategic environmental impact assessment is conducted, public briefings will be held to gather feedback, and a resident communication council composed of local representatives will be formed to continue dialogue with residents.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "The Resource Recovery Facility will be built underground at the current Mapo site, incorporating the latest advanced environmental clean technologies and equipment to ensure a safe and clean facility," adding, "As this facility is essential for Seoul and its citizens, I ask for the understanding and cooperation of residents near the candidate site."

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