"Permit Cancellation for Inadequate Disaster Prevention: Strengthening Safety Management of Mountain Solar Power Permits"

Forest officials are conducting on-site inspections of permitted sites for solar panel installations on slopes to prepare for landslides. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Safety management of temporary solar power installation sites in mountainous areas will be strengthened.

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 16th that it will enhance the management of temporary use permits for mountainous areas to minimize disaster occurrences.

Since solar power facilities installed on steep mountainous slopes can increase the risk of disasters such as landslides during heavy rain, safety management will be reinforced in advance to prevent such disasters.

Additionally, the Korea Forest Service noted that while the possibility of mountain disasters is increasing due to climate change causing more frequent and intense rainfall, forests are gaining recognition as a major carbon sink responding to climate change. Therefore, in the future, installation permits for mountain solar power facilities will be granted with caution, prioritizing the potential for disasters such as landslides.

Measures to sanction poorly managed temporary solar power sites in mountainous areas have also been prepared. If a landslide has already occurred or if safety management measures by administrative agencies to prevent disasters are not complied with, the key actions include canceling permits or restricting permit extensions under the Mountainous Area Management Act.

In this context, the Korea Forest Service will require permit authorities to issue a ‘Disaster Prevention Action Order’ to operators at sites where disaster prevention measures are deemed necessary during field inspections, setting deadlines to ensure prompt action.

Furthermore, if the permit holder does not comply with the ‘Disaster Prevention Action Order,’ the Korea Forest Service explained that it will consider canceling the temporary use permit for the mountainous area or applying administrative execution laws for restoration.

Moreover, currently under-construction mountain solar power sites will undergo mandatory inspections by specialized mountain institutions and will be actively managed through interim restoration to stabilize slopes.

For new solar power permits, operators will be required to commission specialized mountain institutions to conduct inspections at least once a year for a minimum of three years from the start of construction. After installation, to stabilize slopes before electricity trading, operators must proceed with the project only after completing slope stabilization according to the permit authority’s interim restoration orders.

Nam Sung-hyun, Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, stated, “Permit authorities such as local government heads will implement mountain solar power permits with strict standards and manage existing permits. Alongside this, we will ensure that operators carry out responsible disaster prevention measures to thoroughly prevent damage caused by mountain solar power installations.”