Yeonggwang-gun Waste Resource Circulation Facility Faces Opposition from County Council

Ordinance Amendment, Major Road Location Distance Increased from 100 to 500m

Establishment of 'Special Committee' for Offshore Wind Power Transmission Lines Measures

The Yeonggwang County Council in Jeollanam-do (Chairman Kang Pil-gu) held the 276th Yeonggwang County Council extraordinary session on the 20th and amended the ordinance related to resource circulation facilities, changing the major road location range for permit standards from 100m to 500m, effectively putting a halt to the construction permit for waste recycling facilities.

According to the Yeonggwang County Council, opposition opinions reflecting concerns about environmental pollution from nearby residents and county citizens were taken into account regarding the construction permit application for a waste recycling facility submitted by CNT Co., Ltd. to the county on September 12. Residents and county citizens near 129-Yongseong-ri, Beopseong-myeon, and one other parcel have been holding rallies twice a day with about 20 people in front of Yeonggwang County Office since the 6th of last month, protesting against the permit.

On the 6th, residents held a protest in front of Yeonggwang County Office against the permit for a waste recycling facility. The residents have been holding two rallies daily since November 6.
[Photo by Kim Geonwan yacht@]

According to comprehensive reporting by this newspaper, the applicant company had previously applied on the evening of the 14th via the internet to reduce the size of the building and change the application so that it would not require an environmental impact assessment. However, the newly amended ordinance does not include transitional measures and is based on the permit disposition date, so the applicant company must submit accordingly to the county.

A local resident said, "The applicant company tried to avoid the environmental impact assessment by downsizing the application, but the county council reflected the opinions of residents and county citizens and amended the ordinance, which has brought some relief. The village chiefs and nearby residents will continue protest rallies until the non-approval measure is confirmed."

A county official stated, "We will review the newly amended ordinance and various laws further. We plan to issue a non-approval measure early next month."

Meanwhile, on the 20th, during the last extraordinary session of this year, a 'Special Committee on Measures for Offshore Wind Power Transmission Lines (hereinafter referred to as the Special Committee)' was formed, appointing Councilman Jang Young-jin as chairman and Councilman Im Young-min as secretary.

The Special Committee consists of seven county council members and aims to minimize the damage to county citizens from the construction projects of the Shinan offshore wind power transmission line and the Yeonggwang 154kV transmission and substation line.

The activity period is one year until December 19 of next year, with plans to extend if necessary. The committee will actively respond step-by-step to the central government, Jeollanam-do Province, and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

Chairman Jang Young-jin stated, "The sacrifices that our county citizens must endure under the pretext of a national project are enormous. We will strongly respond to the push-through style project promotion that forces sacrifices only on county citizens who have no relation to the interests of specific regions and private businesses."