Gapyeong County Finalizes 3.99 Billion Won Support for Water Source Management Area Residents... Introduces "Solar Pension"

Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province announced on October 23 that it has finalized the allocation plan for the "2026 Resident Support Project Fund," aimed at stabilizing the livelihoods and improving the living conditions of residents in the Han River water source management area.

Aerial view of Gapyeong County Office. Provided by Gapyeong County.

The total project fund allocated this year amounts to 3.99 billion won, fully supported by the Han River Water System Management Fund. Gapyeong County will accept project proposals from each township between October and November and plans to submit the 2026 Resident Support Project Plan to Gyeonggi Province and the Han River Basin Environmental Office.

This resident support project is designed to compensate residents in the water source management area for disadvantages caused by restrictions on property rights, while also aiming to expand living infrastructure and revitalize the local community through various support initiatives. Gapyeong County has categorized the project funds into direct support projects, indirect support projects, and new projects such as the Solar Pension Support Project.

First, the direct support project fund totals 510.649 million won, accounting for about 13% of the entire budget. Living support payments of up to 10 million won per household will be provided to 139 households within the water source management area.

For indirect support projects, a total of 3.48 billion won has been allocated to metropolitan and township-level projects aimed at improving community life and living environments. Of this, 870 million won is earmarked for metropolitan projects that benefit residents of two or more townships.

Notably, this year marks the introduction of the new "Solar Pension Support Project." Under this initiative, solar power generation facilities will be installed at the village level, enabling residents to sell the electricity produced and receive the profits in the form of a pension. This is expected to simultaneously promote local energy self-sufficiency and increase residents' income.

Meanwhile, the township resident support project fund totals 2.31 billion won and will focus on resident-priority infrastructure projects. Additionally, starting this year, the "Indirect Support Project Reserve System" will be piloted. This system allows villages to designate desired reserve amounts for large-scale projects, such as constructing new community centers or acquiring land-projects that are difficult to complete within a single year. The reserved funds will be managed as part of the metropolitan support project budget, and when a village undertakes an actual project, it will receive support equivalent to its accumulated reserve from the metropolitan project fund.

An official from the county stated, "Next year's resident support project fund allocation plan is centered on practical support projects that residents can truly benefit from. In particular, we expect the Solar Pension Support Project to achieve both local energy self-sufficiency and increased income for residents."