Completion of Public Building Charging Facility Relocation This Month
Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, has officially launched a project to relocate electric vehicle charging facilities installed underground in private apartment complexes to above ground, becoming the first basic local government in the Incheon area to do so.
On the 26th, Yeonsu-gu announced that it held a one-point extraordinary session of the district council to proactively support the relocation of apartment charging facilities in order to alleviate residents' concerns about electric vehicle fires, revising ordinances and securing related budgets.
At the 267th extraordinary session of the district council, which closed on the 23rd, the district established the legal basis for promoting measures to prevent electric vehicle fires by revising the "Ordinance on Support for the Distribution and Use Activation of Environmentally Friendly Vehicles" and the "Yeonsu-gu Apartment Complex Management Support Ordinance."
Along with this, the district secured a project budget of 455 million KRW to support the relocation and installation of electric vehicle charging facilities in underground parking lots of 17 apartment complexes in the old downtown area and 9 complexes in Songdo-dong.
In Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, apartments account for more than 80% of all housing types. [Photo by Yeonsu-gu, Incheon]
Accordingly, after receiving applications from management entities, the district will proceed with feasibility reviews and on-site inspections, then carry out construction and grant subsidies for each selected complex through the Apartment Complex Support Deliberation Committee.
Additionally, recognizing the urgent need to relocate charging facilities above ground for public buildings such as the district office, community welfare centers, and health centers to serve visitors, the district will allocate contingency funds to start construction and complete all relocations within this month.
For each public building, the district plans to reorganize electric vehicle parking spaces following the relocation of charging facilities and separately purchase electric vehicle fire extinguishers and suffocation fire extinguishing agents to equip each facility accordingly.
Earlier this month, Yeonsu-gu established and began implementing a comprehensive electric vehicle fire prevention plan to address residents' safety concerns and eliminate risks following an electric vehicle fire in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Seo-gu, Incheon.
The district prepared a comprehensive plan centered on four measures, including distributing a safety manual and revising ordinances to enable support for relocating apartment charging facilities above ground, and also conducted joint public-private training on electric vehicle fire response in Songdo-dong.
Yeonsu-gu plans to encourage the installation of electric vehicle chargers above ground in apartment complexes currently under construction or awaiting project approval within the district, and in cases where underground installation is unavoidable, it will mandate fire suppression equipment and fire spread prevention facilities.
Lee Jae-ho, mayor of Yeonsu-gu, said, "We have promptly established the legal basis and budget to support facility relocation to resolve residents' anxiety and conflicts caused by electric vehicle fires. We will continue to proactively respond to safety issues in the region."
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