[Report] Solar Panels Cover Salt Farm Village... 250,000 Pyeong of 400,000 Pyeong Salt Farm Disappeared

Salt Farm Village Facing Extinction Threat Due to Rapid Spread of Solar Power

Land Prices Triple Due to Solar Power
Landowners Sell Land Instead of Leasing Salt Pans

Rapid Decline in Salt Pan Area Drives Up Salt Prices
20kg of Solar Salt Cost 18,000 KRW Last Year

Relaxation of Soil Salinity Standards on Reclaimed Land
Concerns Over Solar Power Encroaching on Absolute Farmland

Tenant Farmers Losing Farmland
Threat to Food Security Due to Reduced Rice Production

On the morning of the 14th, I visited Yeomjeon Village in Baeksu-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, where a solar power plant has been built on 250,000 pyeong out of 400,000 pyeong of salt farm land.

[Yeonggwang·Yeongam=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] "Our village is no longer a salt pan village. Out of the 400,000 pyeong (1,322,300㎡) of salt pans, 250,000 pyeong have already been taken over by solar power plants, leaving only 150,000 pyeong of salt pans. Only 10 out of 60 households still make salt from the salt pans to make a living. The landowners plan to transfer the salt pans to solar power operators, so by next year, only 1 or 2 salt pan households will remain." (A resident in his 50s from a salt pan village in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do)

On the 14th, the salt pan village in Saha 6-ri, Baeksu-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, showed no sign of salt pans despite its name. The salt beds that used to produce solar salt by drawing seawater were covered with solar panels, and instead of villagers working in the salt pans, workers equipped with safety helmets and work shoes were seen moving around. The vast salt pans where the movie "Believer" was filmed now exist only in the film.

The salt pan village once had salt pans covering 400,000 pyeong. However, since 2018, the salt pans have gradually been replaced by solar power plants. Solar power already occupies 250,000 pyeong, and the remaining 150,000 pyeong of salt pans are also at risk of disappearing. A resident said, "I heard that solar power operators and the remaining landowners will sign contracts within this year," adding, "If construction starts as early as next year, only about 7,000 pyeong of salt pans will remain."

The main reason solar power rapidly encroached on salt pan land is money. Over 90% of the salt pans were leased by tenants who paid rent to produce salt. Renting about 7,000 pyeong typically cost 10 to 15 million KRW per year. However, with the arrival of solar power plants, land prices skyrocketed. Around 2018, salt pan land prices were about 40,000 to 50,000 KRW per pyeong (3.3㎡), but recently they have risen to about 120,000 KRW, increasing 2 to 3 times. As land prices rose, landowners sold their land outright to solar power operators instead of collecting rent, and villagers who could not find salt pans to lease are leaving the village.

As solar power began to occupy salt pans, the salt pan area significantly decreased. According to Sinan-gun in Jeollanam-do, the total permitted salt pan area in the Jeollanam-do region decreased by 13.1%, from 35.15 million㎡ (10,632,900 pyeong) at the end of 2019 to 30.55 million㎡ at the end of 2020. With the reduction in salt pan area and the combined effects of monsoons and typhoons, solar salt production dropped sharply by 32.4%, from 244,000 tons to 165,000 tons during the same period.

Solar salt prices are soaring. Hong Cheol-gi, president of the Sinan Solar Salt Producers Association, said, "In recent years, solar salt prices have been below production costs, and more than half of the salt pans in Sinan have been converted to solar power," adding, "Combined with panic buying due to the discharge of contaminated water from Japanese nuclear power plants, the price of a 20kg bag rose from 3,080 KRW in 2019 and 6,250 KRW in 2020 to 18,000 KRW currently." The village disappearing as salt pans are replaced by solar power is also affecting the sharp rise in solar salt prices.

The renewable energy boom in the salt pan village began right after the government announced the ‘3020 Renewable Energy Expansion Policy.’ Baeksu-eup, known for its abundant sand and strong winds?so much so that there is a saying, "To get married, you must eat three mal of sand"?first saw the installation of wind turbines. Currently, 78 wind turbines are installed mainly along the coast of Baeksu-eup. Later, with the addition of solar power in the salt pan village, power lines sending electricity outside were tangled near the power plants. This has caused conflicts between renewable energy operators and residents over the installation of transmission towers. Park Inam, head of the Renewable Energy Environmental Monitoring Group, said, "78 wind turbines and 100MW of solar power are already installed in Baeksu-eup, and large-scale offshore wind power is planned on nearby islands. They are trying to install transmission towers to send the electricity to other regions without residents' consent," adding, "If high-voltage lines pass through, it will harm the landscape and residents' health. We are demanding underground cabling, but Korea Electric Power Corporation and others oppose it due to cost issues."

On the afternoon of the 14th, I visited reclaimed farmland in Sijong-myeon, Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do. A solar power plant covering an area of 350,000 pyeong is scheduled to be built in this area ahead of the harvest.

The situation is no different in Sijong-myeon, Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, where reclaimed land affected by salt damage spreads. The reclaimed land in Bongsori area of Sijong-myeon, visited that afternoon, is where a solar power operator is planning a 350,000 pyeong solar power project. Jeong Un-gap, former president of the Yeongam Farmers Association, said, "Last year, the project was put on hold due to farmers' opposition, but it is highly likely to be resumed after this year's harvest," adding, "Tenant farmers worked hard to remove salt and make the reclaimed land fertile after blocking the Yeongsan River, but now they are at risk of losing it."

Reclaimed land is absolute farmland where only farming is allowed, and solar power installations are prohibited. However, since December 2018, solar power projects have been allowed on land created by reclamation of public waters where soil salinity exceeds 5.5 dS/m (decisiemens per meter). Soil samples are taken from the topsoil (0?30cm) and subsoil (30?60cm), and if 90% of the applied land exceeds the salinity standard based on subsoil measurements, solar power projects are permitted. Jeong said, "Rice farming only uses the top 20cm, so measuring salinity below that is wrong."

As the government has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 2018 levels, the encroachment of renewable energy on farmland is expected to accelerate. Jeong criticized, "If solar power is installed on absolute farmland like reclaimed land, most tenant farmers who rent land to farm will disappear, leading to a decrease in rice production and threatening food security."

On the afternoon of the 14th, around the substation site in Sijong-myeon, Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, where I visited, about 200 placards with slogans opposing the installation of solar panels and substations are displayed.

Residents of Sijong-myeon strongly oppose the substation. Jeong said, "The substation planned for Sinhak-ri is premised on expanding solar power in the area. Once the substation is built, the speed at which farmland is covered by solar power will accelerate," adding, "The government must not ignore the desperate pleas of tenant farmers who just want to farm in peace."