Gwangmyeong Hakon to Be Built as the Nation's First 'Carbon Neutral City'

Kim Se-yong, President of Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (center), is taking a commemorative photo after signing an agreement with Ji Jong-cheol, CEO of Nexttrain Co., Ltd. (left), and Park Seung-won, Mayor of Gwangmyeong.

Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) is developing the Gwangmyeong Hakon Public Housing District as the nation's first core model for a carbon-neutral city.

On the 23rd, GH announced on the 24th that it signed a carbon-neutral smart city business agreement (MOU) with Gwangmyeong City and Nextrain Co., Ltd. at its headquarters in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon.

GH plans to collect groundwater (estimated about 2,000 tons per day) generated at Hakon Station (Shinansan Line) instead of discharging it into the river, and first provide it as heating and cooling energy for newly established schools and park management offices. The groundwater used for heating and cooling will then be recycled for secondary use in small hydropower generation and as water resources for park irrigation.

The capacity required for heating and cooling the school (assuming a total floor area of 4,000 pyeong) is 500 RT, and it is expected that about 24% (120 RT) of this can be supplied through the discharged groundwater. RT is a refrigeration unit that refers to the amount of heat that must be removed to convert 1 ton of water at 0°C into ice at 0°C over 24 hours.

The initial construction cost for the facility is 260 million KRW, and operating costs are expected to be reduced by 20 million KRW.

Kim Se-yong, president of GH, stated, "Responding to the climate crisis is not a future task but a critical issue that we all must urgently address together with awareness." He added, "Based on the carbon-neutral city model of the Gwangmyeong Hakon district, GH plans to expand eco-friendly urban development across the entire 3rd New Town, which is expected to improve the quality of life for Gyeonggi residents and accelerate the realization of a better Gyeonggi-do."

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