Government-Level Pilot Project to Conclude This Year
Distribution Support Projects for Private Sector and Local Governments from 2022 to 2024
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Ju Sang-don] The Ministry of Environment and Korea Water Resources Corporation will hold nationwide briefing sessions for the '2022-2024 Thermal Energy Pilot Project Contest' targeting private sectors and local governments across the country from the 29th until mid-November to realize carbon neutrality in the water sector.
The briefing sessions will begin on the 29th in the metropolitan area, Gangwon region, and Chungcheong region, followed by Yeongnam region (early November) and Honam region (mid-November). They will explain the operation plan for the distribution and pilot projects of thermal energy, as well as the scope of support, eligibility criteria, restrictions, and post-management for applicants.
In conjunction with the briefing sessions, the Ministry of Environment will conduct the pilot project contest for private sectors and local governments planned from 2022 to 2024 for about 60 days starting November 29.
The thermal energy pilot project is part of the 'Eco-friendly Thermal Energy Activation Plan' jointly established by related ministries at the Cabinet meeting held on June 30 last year. The Ministry of Environment plans to conclude the government-level pilot project conducted over two years from last year to this year and implement a distribution support pilot project targeting private sectors and local governments nationwide for three years from 2022 to 2024 to expand thermal energy usage.
The pilot project contest targets corporations (legal entities), public institutions, and regional hub project areas such as buildings or industrial complexes owned by local governments. The Ministry of Environment will select support sites considering the scale of thermal energy facilities, budget, and project effectiveness.
The Ministry of Environment will review evaluation criteria through the first document screening and finalize the selected sites after a second round of face-to-face and on-site evaluations conducted by a selection evaluation committee.
For the selected contest sites, up to 50% of the total project cost for thermal energy facilities will be supported by the national treasury, with design costs supported in 2022 and construction costs in 2023.
An official from the Ministry of Environment said, "If this pilot project proceeds as planned, 21 MW of thermal energy will be introduced, resulting in an energy saving of 20 GWh and a reduction of 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide," adding, "This is comparable to the power generation of about 2.5 offshore wind turbines of 3 MW each, which is another form of eco-friendly energy."
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