73.2 MW floating solar plant under construction at 53% completion

Agricultural reservoir surface used instead of farmland or forests

Ground broken in February after permits secured following 2020 developer selection

An aerial view of the 73.2 MW "Saemangeum Haetbit Nanum" floating solar power facility under construction over a reservoir in the Saemangeum area of Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. [Korea Rural Community Corporation]
An aerial view of the 73.2 MW "Saemangeum Haetbit Nanum" floating solar power facility under construction over a reservoir in the Saemangeum area of Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. [Korea Rural Community Corporation]

Rows of floating solar panels are taking shape above the vast reservoir waters of Saemangeum in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. The site is the "Saemangeum Haetbit Nanum" ("sunshine sharing") project — a floating solar initiative that generates electricity from the idle surface of an agricultural reservoir rather than converting farmland or forests. The project carries a total budget of about 150 billion won ($111 million) and will build a 73.2 MW floating solar power facility.

According to the Korea Rural Community Corporation, the Saemangeum Haetbit Nanum project uses the reservoir of the Saemangeum agri-bio land zone for floating solar generation. A developer was selected in September 2020, and after clearing the necessary permits and approvals, the project broke ground in February. As of late September, construction was about 53 percent complete. Work is proceeding with a target of commercial operation in August next year.

A defining feature of the project is that no additional farmland or forest is cleared for solar generation. The corporation installs floating structures on the surface of agricultural reservoirs it manages and mounts solar panels on top of them, effectively turning existing agricultural infrastructure into a power-generation resource.

As it pursues floating solar projects, the Korea Rural Community Corporation has committed to preserving the original functions of agricultural infrastructure, including the supply of irrigation water. Under its guidelines, up to 10 percent of a reservoir's total surface area may be used, and up to 20 percent for freshwater lakes; any use beyond those limits requires approval from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Saemangeum Haetbit Nanum project took more than five years from developer selection to ground-breaking. Although a developer was chosen in September 2020, the actual start of construction did not come until February after a lengthy permitting and preparation process. About seven months after breaking ground, construction has already passed the halfway mark, with solar installations now visible across the reservoir surface.

Kim In-jung, president of the Korea Rural Community Corporation, said at a press briefing for Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs correspondents held Wednesday at the Saemangeum 33 Center in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, that the corporation would pursue renewable energy projects in tandem with agriculture and rural communities.

The Korea Rural Community Corporation said it will continue to maintain the functions of agricultural infrastructure while making use of idle water surfaces across its floating solar projects, including the Saemangeum Haetbit Nanum initiative. The project is scheduled to begin commercial operation in August next year.


adastra@heraldcorp.com