South Korea seeks to ease opposition to power line construction
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The South Korean Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced plans to reduce the number of transmission towers built for the country’s expanding power grid and bury lines near residential areas.
The government aims to address local resistance to new power infrastructure needed for a shift towards renewable energy sources.
Officials will prioritize integrating new lines with existing ones, potentially reducing the total number of towers constructed by up to 47%, from 4,723 to 2,509 across 2,169 kilometers of national grid. The ministry also intends to create “sunshine income villages” near transmission lines, providing residents with approximately 3.85 million won (about $2,850 USD) per household annually through solar power generation financed by funds normally given to local governments for power line construction.
While large-scale transmission lines from non-capital regions to the Seoul metropolitan area will continue as planned, the government will also adjust routes to avoid cultural assets and sensitive areas like veteran communities. The ministry will revise guidelines to prioritize combining transmission lines and burying them near homes, even though burying lines is typically ten times more expensive than building overhead lines.
They will also increase financial support to communities impacted by power lines, and open the process of selecting transmission line routes to more public input, including allowing residents to observe selection committee meetings and propose alternative routes. The ministry acknowledged past shortcomings in considering local opinions during the siting of power infrastructure.
