Yeongdeok-gun Mayor-elect Jo Ju-hong [Provided by the Yeongdeok-gun mayoral transition committee]
Yeongdeok-gun Mayor-elect Jo Ju-hong [Provided by the Yeongdeok-gun mayoral transition committee]

Yeongdeok-gun Mayor-elect Jo Ju-hong said Thursday that nuclear power plant support funds would be used not as compensation but as investment capital for the region's future.

"We will invest in expanding social infrastructure such as roads and ports, integrated elderly care, electricity bill support, wildfire damage recovery, a regional development fund and the energy industry to bring about real change," Jo said in a press release Thursday.

Jo's camp expects the nuclear power plant project to generate economic benefits exceeding 100 billion won ($65.6 million) annually and create thousands of jobs.

Jo said he would establish a "Yeongdeok Energy Mix Committee" and hold regular expert forums to discuss energy policy and safety issues, with the aim of accelerating the development of a renewable energy ecosystem linking solar, wind and hydrogen industries around the nuclear plant.

He added that thermal discharge from the nuclear plant would be used to develop an advanced thermal complex bringing together horticultural facilities, fish farms, an aquarium, a botanical garden and marine leisure facilities to generate tourism and industrial demand. He also said he would work with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and other related agencies to build a nuclear training center, a multipurpose sports complex and a residential complex for workers.

"Attracting a new nuclear power plant is not simply about building a power station — it will be an opportunity to transform Yeongdeok's industrial structure and living environment," Jo said. "The nuclear plant is the engine of our future livelihood, and I will ensure that its benefits reach every resident of the county."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com