Design work under way after preliminary feasibility exemption; shaft construction to begin first

Substation candidate sites also reviewed; ministry to support site confirmation process

Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan [Yonhap]
Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan [Yonhap]

Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan on Wednesday inspected the route of a power supply line that will serve the Honam region's semiconductor industrial complex, with construction set to begin in January.

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy said Kim visited the line's planned corridor and candidate substation sites that day, and would also meet with residents expected to be relocated due to the expansion of Dongbok Dam.

In the morning, Kim inspected the line corridor in Gwangsan-gu and received a briefing from Korea Electric Power Corporation on construction plans and site conditions.

The power supply line plan was approved at a Cabinet meeting in September, following a power supply agreement for the Honam mega-project signed in August. A preliminary feasibility study exemption was subsequently confirmed, and the ministry is now issuing design service contracts. Full-scale construction is set to begin with shaft work in January.

Kim then visited a candidate site for the complex's substation in Seo-gu and received a briefing on substation construction plans and power supply arrangements for the complex. The ministry views the substation as a critical gateway for transmitting power generated in the Honam region to the industrial complex, and plans to support follow-up procedures including site confirmation.

In the afternoon, Kim held a meeting with residents slated for relocation at the Eoulrim Center in Hwasun-gun. The dam expansion is expected to require the relocation of about 280 households in the surrounding area. The ministry has been consulting with residents on compensation and support measures through a Dongbok Dam co-prosperity council and other channels.

"The government will build the necessary infrastructure on schedule so that the power and water supply needed for the complex can be provided without disruption," Kim said. "We will also carefully review compensation and support measures to ensure that the Dongbok Dam expansion leads to shared regional benefits and that residents can maintain stable lives."

The site visit was attended by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Shin Jeong-hun, along with officials from the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju integrated special city, Hwasun-gun, Damyang-gun, Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Water Resources Corporation.


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com