Original Korean article: gukjenews.com
As the selection process for the next president of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) gains momentum, attention is turning back to the energy policies pursued by Kim Young-rok, former governor of Jeollanam-do, during his two consecutive terms as elected governor spanning eight years.
The former governor led major energy projects under the goal of developing Jeollanam-do into the "Energy Capital of the Republic of Korea". These included the establishment of Korea Energy Engineering University (KENTECH), the Sinan 8.2GW offshore wind project, the creation of an energy valley, and the activation of distributed energy.
The "Blue Economy" announced in 2019 served as Jeollanam-do's future vision, presenting a blueprint for fostering new energy industries by leveraging the region's natural resources such as the sea, islands, sunlight and wind.
KENTECH and offshore wind as core pillars
Among these, "Blue Energy" was designated as a core sector, becoming the foundation for attracting major projects including the Sinan offshore wind farm, Korea Energy Engineering University, and the Haenam Solar Island carbon-neutral cluster.
The establishment of Korea Energy Engineering University faced obstacles in site selection and legislation. The former governor resolved conflicts through coordination with relevant agencies and conducted persuasion activities targeting the National Assembly and political circles. The Korea Energy Engineering University Act passed the National Assembly in March 2021, and the university opened in March 2022.
The Sinan 8.2GW offshore wind power complex was another flagship project pursued during the former governor's tenure. Amid complex licensing and competing interests involving maritime traffic, environment, military operations, fishing rights and community acceptance, the former governor worked to reduce obstacles to project implementation through coordination with relevant ministries, operation of consultative bodies, recommendations to improve licensing procedures, and introduction of resident-participation profit-sharing models.
Expanding into next-generation energy
In the eighth elected term, policy scope expanded beyond renewable energy into next-generation energy fields such as nuclear fusion. The former governor made efforts to secure future energy research infrastructure, including the construction of superconductor test facilities in connection with Korea Energy Engineering University and the attraction of artificial sun research facilities within Naju Bitgaram Innovation City.
Through the energy valley development project, he concentrated on attracting energy-related companies and research institutions and building a regional new industry ecosystem. He also emphasized the necessity of a distributed energy system in which electricity produced locally is consumed locally, and promoted related discussions.
Strategies to attract advanced industries such as RE100 data centers based on Jeollanam-do's renewable energy were also made concrete. This aligns with the growing importance of stable carbon-free power supply to advanced industries including semiconductors, artificial intelligence and data centers.
The former governor's energy policies thus underwent complex processes involving coordination among diverse stakeholders, large-scale financial investment, and cooperation among the Central Government, local government, companies and residents. As the selection of KEPCO's next president proceeds, attention is focused on how the energy policy experience and negotiation capabilities the former governor accumulated in the field will be evaluated.
