Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Accelerates Green New Deal... Wind Power Complex and Floating Solar Power Installation in Cheongsong (Comprehensive)

2030 7.6GW Capacity Securing Project
4.4MW Floating Solar Power Plant Also Scheduled for Completion in March Next Year

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is accelerating efforts to secure 7.6GW of new renewable energy facilities by 2030 in line with the government's Green New Deal policy. They have completed a large-scale wind power complex in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, and plan to build the country's first floating solar power facility utilizing a pumped-storage hydroelectric dam.

On the 28th, KHNP announced that it completed the construction of a large-scale 19.2MW wind power complex near Noreasan Mountain at the Cheongsong Pumped Storage Power Plant in Cheongsong-gun, and held a completion ceremony on the 21st.

The Cheongsong Noreasan wind power complex was completed on a 66,000㎡ site with an investment of approximately 54.1 billion KRW. It is expected to generate 37,000MWh of electricity annually, enough to supply power to about 16,000 households, which exceeds the total of approximately 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. After about five years of obtaining permits and carrying out construction, six generators were installed and commercial operation began.

Additionally, KHNP held a groundbreaking ceremony for the country's first 4.4MW floating solar power plant utilizing a pumped-storage hydroelectric dam, aiming for completion in March next year. The facility will be constructed on the lower reservoir of the Cheongsong Pumped Storage Power Plant.

Solar modules will be installed on approximately 29,000㎡, about 5.7% of the reservoir area, generating 5,560MWh of electricity annually. This amount can supply power to about 2,800 households in Cheongsong-gun.

The construction of the power plant will be the first to apply the strengthened Korean Energy Agency's new renewable energy facility guidelines, which were updated last month.

In accordance with the guidelines, KHNP plans to use eco-friendly and highly durable floating solar modules, ensuring no water pollution concerns and safe operation even in the hot and humid aquatic environment. They will also install an observatory, photo zones, and night lighting to utilize the site as a tourism resource for Cheongsong-gun.

Jung Jae-hoon, CEO of KHNP, stated, "We will faithfully fulfill our responsibilities as a public enterprise by expanding investments in new and renewable energy sources." KHNP plans to invest 20 trillion KRW by 2030 to secure 7.6GW of new renewable facilities, mainly solar and wind power.

Earlier in July, the government announced through the Green New Deal policy that solar and wind power generation facilities, which stood at 15.8GW as of last year (according to the Korea Energy Agency's '2019 New and Renewable Energy Supply Statistics Preliminary Data'), will be significantly increased to 26.3GW by 2022 and 42.7GW by 2025.