Jeonnam Province to Raise City Gas Supply Rate to 85%

Investing 430 Billion KRW by 2031

Jeonnam Provincial Office building exterior.

Jeollanam-do will invest approximately 430 billion KRW together with cities, counties, and city gas companies by 2031 to expand city gas supply, aiming to raise the supply rate to the national average. This initiative is part of the "10-Year City Gas Supply Pipeline Expansion Plan" established in 2021 to improve energy welfare for residents. As of December 2024, the city gas supply rate stands at 63.6%, with the goal of increasing it to the national average of 85%.

According to Jeollanam-do on the 3rd, the region faces challenges in expanding gas pipelines due to low population density and the characteristics of rural and fishing villages. Excessive pipeline investment by city gas companies often leads to increased gas rates, making it difficult to improve the supply rate.

To encourage new pipeline investments by city gas companies and reduce the construction burden on cities and counties, a 10-year plan was established, and since 2022, the province has provided financial support for part of the construction costs. This year, 1.9 billion KRW will be provided to 17 cities and counties. In particular, the construction of the natural gas pipeline between Jangheung and Boseong by Korea Gas Corporation is expected to be completed in May. This will enable city gas supply to Boseong-eup, which was previously not supplied. Approximately 2,000 households are expected to benefit sequentially.

Additionally, Jeollanam-do is promoting the "LPG Pipeline Network Construction Project" in areas where city gas supply is difficult despite pipeline investments, providing safe and affordable fuel. Since last year, the province has been expanding the medium-scale LPG pipeline network from village-level supply, centered on small storage tanks, to township-level supply, allowing more residents to benefit.

The medium-scale LPG pipeline network at the township level will be supplied to about 4,700 households in 11 locations across 7 cities and counties that passed the Ministry of Industry's preliminary feasibility study, with a total investment of 46 billion KRW over five years starting in 2024. For small-scale village-level LPG pipeline networks, about 800 households in 14 locations across 11 cities and counties will be supplied this year, with about 2.4 billion KRW in provincial support.

So far, Jeollanam-do has supplied city gas to 537,479 households in 19 cities and counties through pipeline expansion support, and has established LPG pipeline networks in 93 villages for 5,491 households.

Kang Sanggu, Director of the Energy Industry Bureau of Jeollanam-do, said, "We will continue to improve the living conditions in rural and fishing villages through the ongoing expansion of city gas supply and LPG pipeline network construction, and do our best to promote energy welfare by bridging the energy usage gap between urban and rural areas."