Yeongyang-gun Submits Application for Pumped Storage Power Plant Installation

On June 30, Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, including O Do-chang, the governor of Yeongyang-gun, Kim Seok-hyun, chairman of the Yeongyang County Council, and Yang Bong-cheol, the standing chairman of the Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee for the Attraction of the Pumped Storage Power Plant (hereinafter referred to as the Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee), along with about 20 others, visited the headquarters of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (hereinafter referred to as KHNP, located in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk) to submit an application for the attraction of a pumped storage power plant.

Yeongyang County Office.

On April 24, the county received an explanation from KHNP officials who visited Yeongyang-gun that Yeongyang had been selected as a preliminary candidate site for the construction of a new pumped storage power plant. After about 70 days of a grand campaign to attract the power plant, reflecting the hopes of the residents, the application was submitted today.

In particular, the accompaniment of Oh Ki-hyun, the village chief of Yonghwa 1-ri, Ilwol-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, the candidate site for the pumped storage power plant construction, signaled a positive outlook for securing resident acceptance, which was warmly welcomed by KHNP above all.

Since April, Yeongyang-gun has established a public-private cooperation system, formed the ‘Yeongyang Pumped Storage Power Plant Attraction Promotion Team,’ and actively engaged in attraction activities along with the ‘Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee,’ receiving great support from residents through various promotional efforts.

First, the county held a resolution rally involving all residents, a pan-citizen signature campaign, a county-wide challenge supporting the attraction of the pumped storage power plant, and badge-wearing campaigns. These activities, led autonomously by civilians rather than by the government, are evaluated as setting a new milestone in attracting large-scale national projects.

Moreover, ahead of the submission of the application, on June 23, the ‘Pumped Storage Power Plant Opposition Committee’ (hereinafter referred to as the Opposition Committee), which had maintained a stance against the attraction, made a dramatic compromise by deciding to remove opposition banners. This is expected to greatly aid the announcement of the final selection of the preferred negotiation site scheduled for September.

Governor O Do-chang said, “First, I would like to thank the residents who have passionately supported the attraction of the pumped storage power plant over the past 70 days. I also sincerely thank the members of the Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee, who have devoted themselves daily to the attraction activities, and the Yeongyang County Council members who have united in support. Above all, to repay the generous decision of the residents of Yonghwa 1-ri, the expected candidate site, I am willing to endure any hardship to attract the pumped storage power plant to Yeongyang-gun.”

Yeongyang-gun’s activities to attract the pumped storage power plant will continue with new and strengthened promotional efforts starting in July, following the submission of the application.