Ministry of Industry to Implement 'Cluster Complex Notification' on 11th
Revised Permit Standards Increase Flexibility of Valid Areas for Wind Measurement Devices
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government is set to fully implement the renewable energy cluster complex system. This aims to prevent indiscriminate development of facilities such as solar and wind power plants with capacities of 40MW or more. An additional weighting of 0.1 will be applied to Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) to boost industrial growth momentum. The installation standards for wind measurement devices, key equipment for wind turbines, will also be relaxed.
On the 10th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it has established the "Guidelines on the Creation and Support of Renewable Energy Cluster Complexes" (Cluster Complex Notice), which will take effect from the 11th. This signifies the official management of cluster complexes where local governments lead renewable energy power generation projects.
A cluster complex refers to a region designated for the installation and operation of renewable energy power generation facilities such as solar and wind power with a capacity of 40MW or more. After local governments conduct site discovery, establish complex plans, and secure community acceptance, they can apply to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for cluster complex designation. The designation is made after evaluation and review by the Renewable Energy Policy Committee.
When promoting a complex, local governments must form and operate a public-private consultative body involving stakeholders such as local residents and fishermen from the planning stage of the project.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will recognize cluster complexes as local government-led projects and provide an additional REC weighting of up to 0.1 to the respective local governments.
An official from the ministry explained, "The level of additional REC weighting will be determined based on the local government's efforts in site discovery and securing community acceptance. We plan to introduce a 'Sprint System' that differentiates weighting according to the period from designation to groundbreaking."
The establishment of this notice is significant in preventing indiscriminate development and promoting systematic development through the activation of local government-led renewable energy power generation projects.
Through a maximum additional REC weighting of 0.1 for local government-led projects and up to 0.2 for community participation projects, the ministry expects an increase in cases of sharing development profits with local communities, ultimately leading to greater dissemination of renewable energy.
The ministry has revised the "Detailed Permit Standards for Power Generation Projects" (Power Generation Permit Standards Notice) to expand the effective area for wind measurement devices.
Currently, the effective area is limited to a radius of 5 km (assuming a flat simple area or public water surface). If there is no overlap with the effective area of other operators' measurement devices or consent is obtained, the effective area can be expanded to a square area of 100 km² including the measurement device.
The development area per measurement device within the effective area can be set similarly to the existing 80-100 km².
The ministry expects that this revision will make it easier to arrange wind power complexes. By allowing measurement devices to be placed at the outermost edge of the complex, existing devices can continue to be used even after the complex is developed.
An official from the ministry said, "With the establishment of the cluster complex notice and the revision of the power generation permit standards notice, we will promote large-scale renewable energy power generation projects by securing community acceptance and environmental compatibility. We expect this to contribute to accelerating the transition to clean and safe energy and realizing the Green New Deal."
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