Climate ministry to convene third talks with grid opponents

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said on Aug. 5 it would convene a third meeting with regional representatives opposed to power-grid construction, seeking views on a draft plan to improve residents' acceptance.

Kim Seong-hwan, the ministry's minister, will chair the meeting at the Power Infrastructure Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. It follows a May 8 session, meetings with resident representatives and visits to conflict sites.

The draft calls for dispersing large-scale industries with heavy electricity demand outside the capital area to shift toward a locally produced and consumed grid system. The ministry said locating such projects where generation capacity is plentiful would help limit the need for additional transmission lines. It plans to use regional electricity pricing and power-system impact assessments to encourage future large-scale projects to choose such locations.

Already planned national backbone power grids will proceed to support renewable energy expansion and a stable electricity supply for advanced industries, the ministry said. It plans to review combining lines to minimize new towers and gradually expand underground sections in densely populated residential areas.

"Expanding the power grid is a historic task that can no longer be delayed for the energy transition and fostering advanced industries," Kim said. The government will seek further opinions on the draft before finalizing and announcing it through a working committee on national backbone grid expansion.