Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Completes Cheongsong Wind Power Plant... Launches Floating Solar Power Project

The Nation's First Floating Solar Power Using Hydroelectric Dam to Be Completed in March Next Year

Cheongsong Noraesan Wind Power Complex. (Photo by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power announced that it has completed the construction of a large-scale wind power complex near Cheongsong Noreasan Mountain, close to the Cheongsong Pumped Storage Power Plant in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, and held a completion ceremony on the 21st.

The Cheongsong Noreasan Wind Power Complex, completed on a 66,000㎡ site with a total project cost of approximately 54.1 billion KRW, has a total capacity of 19.2MW and generates 37,000MWh of electricity annually.

KHNP stated that this amount of power can supply electricity to about 16,000 households, which is more than the total 14,000 households in Cheongsong-gun.

KHNP independently identified the site and conducted wind condition surveys in 2014, then signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Daemyung Energy, a wind power specialist company, through an equity investment project. Over about five years, they completed the permitting process and construction, installed six generators, and began commercial operation.

On the same day, KHNP also held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 4.4MW floating solar power plant to be built on the lower reservoir of the Cheongsong Pumped Storage Power Plant.

This is the first floating solar facility in Korea utilizing a power generation dam, with a target completion date of March next year.

Solar modules will be installed on approximately 29,000㎡, which corresponds to about 5.7% of the reservoir area, producing 5,560MWh of electricity annually. This is enough to supply power to about 2,800 households within Cheongsong-gun.

This power plant is the first facility to apply the recently strengthened Korea Energy Agency’s renewable energy equipment guidelines.

In accordance with the guidelines, KHNP plans to apply eco-friendly and highly durable floating solar modules to build a power plant that can operate safely without concerns of water pollution in the high-temperature and high-humidity floating environment.

Additionally, observation decks, photo zones, and night lighting will be installed to utilize the site as a tourist resource for Cheongsong-gun.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, KHNP President Jung Jae-hoon said, "We will faithfully fulfill our responsibilities as a public enterprise by expanding investments in renewable energy sources."

KHNP plans to invest 20 trillion KRW by 2030 to secure 7.6GW of new renewable energy facilities, mainly solar and wind power.