Location of Floating Solar Power Generation Project at Yongdam Dam - Explanation Material

As the floating solar power generation project being pursued at Yongdam Dam in Jinan County is progressing without gathering opinions from the local residents, concerns about water pollution and opposition from the local community are escalating.

According to the Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union, the Korea Water Resources Corporation plans to install a 20MW floating solar power facility on approximately 270,000 square meters of the Yongdam Dam reservoir in Mojeong-ri, Jeongcheon-myeon, Jinan County, capable of producing 25,000MWh of electricity annually. The project began in 2017 but was put on hold in 2019 due to opposition from Jeollabuk-do Province and nearby local governments. However, this year, it is being pursued again after the Jeollabuk Provincial Environmental Office approved a small-scale environmental impact assessment under the condition of 'social consensus.'

However, the Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union criticizes that in this process, the opinions of the six cities and counties in the province that actually use the drinking water have not been considered, and public hearings or proper public consultation processes have not been conducted, raising concerns that it is a formalistic pursuit. In particular, although Yongdam Dam is a metropolitan water source used by 1.3 million Jeollabuk-do residents, it is not designated as a water source protection area, leading to inadequate legal management.

On the 10th, the Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union issued a statement criticizing, "Pushing ahead without public consultation with the residents on the highly public and sensitive Yongdam Dam reservoir by installing a large-scale power generation facility is betraying the trust of the residents." They emphasized, "One-sided promotion through public information sessions cannot gain public acceptance," and stressed the need for a deliberative public consultation involving conflict resolution experts.

Criticism is also directed towards the structure of the project. Despite being named 'resident-participatory,' the actual stake of residents is only 4%, and most of the profits go to external investors. It is pointed out that this structure is distant from the purpose of contributing to water quality improvement through increased income for upstream residents.

The Jeonbuk Environmental Movement Union demands the enactment of laws for autonomous management of water quality by residents, the establishment of public-private cooperation organizations, and the establishment of an objective evaluation system to Jeollabuk Province, stating, "Energy transition and water quality preservation must go hand in hand. What is needed now is not rushing but creating policies that residents can take responsibility for together."