Gyeonggi-do Announces RE100 Vision… Kim Dong-yeon "Turning Climate Crisis into Opportunity"

Gyeonggi Province plans to expand renewable energy power facilities to 9GW (gigawatts), equivalent to six nuclear power plants, by 2026. Public institutions will switch to 100% renewable energy. Through this, Gyeonggi Province aims to increase the share of renewable energy power generation from 5.8% in 2021 to 30% by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%.

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province held the 'Gyeonggi RE100 Vision Proclamation Ceremony' at Mapal Highteco Co., Ltd. factory located in the Siheung Siwha National Industrial Complex, announcing this vision.

RE100 is a global campaign that pledges to cover 100% of electricity consumption with renewable energy to participate in overcoming the climate crisis.

The Gyeonggi RE100 Vision embodies the strong will of the 8th Gyeonggi Province administration not to pass the burden of overcoming the climate crisis to future generations and the next government. This sharply contrasts with the government’s 2050 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Basic Plan, which lowered the renewable energy power generation target from 30.2% to 21.6% and reduced the greenhouse gas reduction target in the industrial sector from 14.5% to 11.4%.

About 90 people attended the vision proclamation ceremony, including Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, heads of public institutions, companies in the industrial complex, large corporations practicing RE100 in the province, the Gyeonggi Province Citizen Promotion Group, the Gyeonggi Province 2050 Carbon Neutrality Green Growth Committee, provincial assembly members, and climate ambassadors.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon, who arrived at the event in a hydrogen car in line with the event’s purpose, said, "Gyeonggi Province intends to take the lead in carbon neutrality and green growth," adding, "I will preside over the Carbon Neutrality Green Growth Committee meetings once a month and personally oversee the implementation of the plans I am establishing and seek better measures."

He continued, "There are significant concerns about the government’s capabilities and policies related to carbon neutrality. If the central government’s efforts are insufficient for future generations, I believe it is right for Gyeonggi Province to take action," and added, "If climate change and energy issues are unavoidable, we will confront them head-on and become pioneers who turn challenges into opportunities."

He also promised, "We will present a vision that can transform today’s climate crisis into tomorrow’s growth opportunity and lead the support and participation of companies and citizens."

The Gyeonggi RE100 Vision contains bold climate crisis measures under the slogan, "Let’s turn today’s climate crisis into tomorrow’s growth opportunity." On this day, the province outlined 13 tasks across four sectors?public, corporate, citizen, and industrial?to realize the Gyeonggi RE100 Vision.

In the industrial and corporate sectors, the province will promote large-scale projects such as rooftop solar power in industrial complexes and the creation of large renewable energy clusters to expand renewable energy. Additionally, supply quantities will be prioritized for new industrial complexes that have established renewable energy introduction plans, and public-private cooperative rooftop solar power generation projects will be carried out on roofs of existing industrial complexes.

Furthermore, to expand citizen participation, policies will be promoted to enable renewable energy generation to become an opportunity income for residents. This plan aims to resolve the issue of local acceptance, which has been a limitation of solar power generation, and further develop it into opportunity income, a flagship policy of the 8th administration. Opportunity income refers to monetary compensation for activities that create social value but are not properly rewarded in the market, reflecting the view that efforts to overcome the climate crisis generate important social value.

In the public sector, the province plans to install solar power facilities on rooftops and parking lots of public institutions within the province and convert 100% of electricity consumption to renewable energy. This will be promoted through participation in energy cooperatives, sharing profits with citizens, and reducing budgets.

At the vision proclamation ceremony, Gyeonggi Province appointed climate ambassadors and 23 private members of the Gyeonggi Province 2050 Carbon Neutrality Green Growth Committee to support the Gyeonggi RE100 Vision.

The Gyeonggi Province Climate Ambassador is Kang Geum-sil, former 55th Minister of Justice and current representative of Law Firm One, who will provide advice on carbon neutrality policies and serve as a bridge for sharing climate policies and solving challenges between local governments in the international community and Gyeonggi Province.

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