Lee Jaeho, Mayor of Yeonsu District, Incheon, has stated his opposition to the unilateral push for the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Songdo International City, which has recently become the subject of controversy, on the grounds that resident acceptance has not been secured.
In a statement issued on the 25th, the mayor said, "I agree on the necessity of installing the combined heat and power plant in that it is part of a stable energy supply policy for the expansion of the bio cluster," but added, "I can never agree with the current way the project is being promoted, as it has failed to dispel concerns about the environment and safety."
He said, "Although the Electricity Regulatory Commission of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy granted approval on the condition that resident acceptance be secured through the formation of a win-win consultative body, controversy over 'hasty implementation' has recently erupted during the environmental impact assessment procedures due to insufficient public outreach," and stressed, "We will concentrate our administrative capacity to practically guarantee residents a real opportunity to submit their opinions in the administrative process."
Regarding the notice on determining the items for the environmental and climate change impact assessment, which has been underway from the 11th and will continue until the 27th, the district extended the public notice period to 17 days, longer than the legally mandated 14 days. This measure is intended to prevent any omission in gathering residents' opinions due to the Lunar New Year holidays.
The mayor said, "During the upcoming public inspection of the environmental impact assessment report and the resident briefing sessions, we will also monitor whether the project operator genuinely reflects the voices of residents," adding, "We have urged the operator to take active measures, such as conducting outreach visits to each apartment complex."
The Songdo combined heat and power plant project is a plan by GS EPS, which holds the power generation business rights, to build a 500 MW combined heat and power plant near the Songdo LNG base by December 2029.
The project operator maintains that a new plant is essential to meet the growing demand for industrial thermal energy. In contrast, Songdo residents, concerned about environmental pollution such as harmful gas emissions, have opposed the project and demanded the installation of alternative facilities, including a heat-only boiler (PLB).
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