"Toward an RE100 Hub"... Haenam Solar City Rapidly Emerging as a Green AI New Town

Vision for a Smart Grid City Integrating AI and Data Centers
5.4GW Solar and 12.3GW Offshore Wind Linked as an Energy Hub

Haenam Solar City Corporate Town is emerging as a key site for the government's core national agenda of establishing an RE100 industrial complex, and related discussions are now in full swing.

On August 22, Haenam County held the "Solar City AI Energy New Town and RE100 Industrial Complex Development Policy Forum" at the Small and Medium Business Administration Conference Room in Seoul.

Jointly hosted by Haenam County and Assemblymen Park Jie-won, Ahn Do-geol, and Jeong Jin-wook, and organized by the Korea Institute for Comprehensive Economic Research, the forum was held under the theme "The Future of Green Smart New Cities Where AI and RE100 Innovation Meet." More than 100 participants from the National Assembly, government ministries, public institutions, industry, academia, and the media gathered to focus on strategies for developing Haenam Solar City as a national RE100 industrial hub.

Haenam County held the "Solar City AI Energy New Town and RE100 Industrial Complex Development Policy Forum" at the Small and Medium Business Administration Conference Room in Seoul. Provided by Haenam County

Assemblyman Park Jie-won stated, "Haenam has the optimal conditions to realize the government's national agenda more quickly than anywhere else," adding, "We have completed all preparations to launch the project." He further emphasized, "We will actively support the establishment of the RE100 industrial complex at the National Assembly level to ensure it aligns with the government's renewable energy policy direction, which stresses local production and consumption."

The forum highlighted the scale of renewable energy resources available in Solar City. The site offers 5.4GW of potential solar power generation and an additional 12.3GW of offshore wind power potential nearby, underscoring its suitability as an optimal location for the RE100 transition.

In particular, the possibility of building a power self-sufficient smart grid and creating a high-efficiency energy city model through the convergence of data centers and the AI industry was presented, spotlighting Solar City’s potential as a strategic base for attracting domestic and international RE100 companies. Hwang Jun-ho, Executive Director of BS Hanyang, stressed, "Institutional improvements and global investment attraction strategies must go hand in hand to establish the RE100 industrial complex," highlighting the need for incentive design and the relaxation of power grid regulations.

Choi Gil-hyun, Deputy Director of the Korea Institute for Comprehensive Economic Research, predicted, "If AI-based energy optimization technologies are combined with renewable energy infrastructure, Solar City can become a world-class green smart new city."

The government plans to pursue the enactment of a special law for the establishment of a national RE100 industrial complex within this year and aims to designate and build a support system for the national RE100 strategic industrial complex in the first half of 2026.

Haenam County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan stated, "Solar City is not merely a regional development project, but a new national strategic hub leading the era of carbon neutrality," adding, "We will do our utmost to make Solar City the center of Korea’s RE100 implementation through close cooperation with the government, Jeollanam-do Province, and industry."

Meanwhile, the county plans to actively promote Solar City’s renewable energy potential and its suitability as the optimal site for the RE100 industrial complex at the "Asia-Pacific Renewable Energy Matching Forum" scheduled for August 26. In addition, based on the policy proposals discussed at this forum, the county will accelerate efforts to attract companies, build infrastructure, and develop regional win-win strategies in connection with government policy.