‘Kkwong Meokgo Al Meokneun’ Incineration Plant to Open in Ulsan… “Turning Waste into Energy”

Ulsan City Breaks Ground on Reconstruction of ‘Seongam Incinerator Units 1 and 2’

Daily Incineration Capacity 460 Tons... Target Completion in 2026

An eco-friendly incineration plant that generates energy from the heat produced by waste treatment will be established in Ulsan. It is known as a so-called ‘kkoong-meok-go al-meok-neun’ facility, which reduces greenhouse gases while saving fuel.

On the 23rd at 3 p.m., Ulsan City will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Ulsan Seongam Incineration Plant Units 1 and 2 Reconstruction Project at Seongam Incineration Plant in Nam-gu, attended by about 200 people including Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, City Council Chairman Kim Ki-hwan, National Assemblyman Lee Chae-ik, Ministry of Environment’s Lee Joo-chang, Director of Waste Resource Energy Division, environmental groups, and related officials from the corporation.

The ‘Ulsan Seongam Incineration Plant Units 1 and 2 Reconstruction Project’ is planned to be completed by May 2026 on a 6,247㎡ idle site within the existing incineration plant in Nam-gu, with an incineration capacity of 460 tons per day.

Location of the newly constructed 'Ulsan Seongam Incineration Plant Units 1 and 2'.

The GS Construction Co., Ltd. consortium will undertake the construction, and the Kyungho Engineering Comprehensive Architecture Office consortium will be responsible for supervision. The total project cost is 163.9 billion KRW (50.5 billion KRW from the national government, 75.7 billion KRW from the city, and 37.7 billion KRW from the Waste Treatment Facility Fund).

The existing ‘Ulsan Seongam Incineration Plant Units 1 and 2 (incineration capacity 400 tons/day)’ has deteriorated in incineration performance due to aging and posed safety concerns, making stable treatment of household waste difficult.

After the reconstruction project is completed in May 2026, the existing facilities will be demolished.

The newly constructed ‘Ulsan Seongam Incineration Plant Units 1 and 2’ will apply a parallel flow incinerator to prepare for the increased calorific value of household waste due to lifestyle changes. The incineration facility’s performance will be improved, and emission standards for environmental pollutants will be strengthened beyond legal requirements.

In particular, the project is planned to recycle waste heat generated during the incineration process into energy, and the steam energy business using waste heat is expected to expand further in the future.

According to the economic feasibility review by KDI, this project is expected to generate a production inducement effect of 191.7 billion KRW and create 1,683 jobs.

Also, it is expected to supply 100 tons per hour of waste heat steam to Hanju Co., Ltd., Hyosung Chemical Co., Ltd., and Baker Chemical Korea Co., Ltd., generating annual sales revenue of 30 billion KRW.

The companies will secure competitiveness through an annual reduction of 111,000 tons of greenhouse gases and fuel savings.

In 2022, Ulsan City supplied 43 tons of steam per hour and secured total sales revenue of 11.9 billion KRW.

An official from Ulsan City said, “We expect various benefits such as revitalizing the local economy and creating new jobs through the Seongam Incineration Plant reconstruction project,” adding, “We plan to cooperate to ensure stable treatment of household waste and to convert waste heat steam into energy to coexist with businesses.”

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