The Ministry of Environment (Minister Cho Myung-rae) reported the 'Activation Plan for Eco-friendly Hydrothermal Energy' to the State Council on June 30th, 2020, and released relevant information. The plan is about nurturing hydrothermal energy as the key project of the Green New Deal.

Hydrothermal energy is a type of green energy utilizing the physical characteristic of water for heating and cooling, which is relatively colder than the atmosphere in summer and hotter than the atmosphere in winter. The use of hydrothermal energy can reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases emission, as well as the need for cooling towers.

The amendment of the Enforcement Decree for the Act on the Promotion of the Development, Use and Diffusion of New and Renewable Energy (hereinafter the Renewable Energy Act) in October 2019 became a turning point for the expansion of hydrothermal energy by including river water as a source of hydrothermal energy generation. 

Before then, under the Renewable Energy Act, the only source for hydrothermal energy generation approved as renewable energy was sea surface water. 

The activation plan has a series of mid to long-term action plans to nurture hydrothermal energy, including the establishment of hydrothermal energy clusters, tailored revision of related systems, implementation of pilot projects and development of key technologies.

It is expected that the plan could be extended further with related government policies, such as the mandatory ratio of new and renewable energy for public institutions and the expansion of zero-energy buildings.

The plan has three detailed action plans to promote eco-friendly hydrothermal energy: ① Pilot projects to establish hydrothermal energy clusters and promote early penetration, ② Building a foundation for the use of hydrothermal energy by revising related systems and reinforcing the integration of hydrothermal energy projects with urban planning, and ③ Support for the growth of the hydrothermal energy market by developing new technologies, operating a support group, and promoting towards local governments.

The following are the details of the three detailed action plans:

① Pilot projects to establish hydrothermal energy clusters and promote early penetration

Through pilot projects to be implemented in Chuncheon and other places, the Ministry of Environment will verify the effectiveness of hydrothermal energy projects utilizing river water, dam water, and raw water, which are not widely used renewable energy sources, and establish opportunities to expand hydrothermal energy use.

Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Convergence Cluster (cooling capacity:16,500 RT) will be built in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province by 2027 to utilize the Soyang Dam, which is more than five times bigger compared to Lotte World Tower (3,000 RT), the largest building utilizing the hydrothermal technology in Korea.

The ministry will nurture Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Convergence Cluster as an iconic zero carbon (Net Zero) cluster based on various sources of renewable energy, including hydrothermal power, floating solar power generation, and hydroelectric power.

Also, the ministry will implement pilot projects in stages to provide the electricity generated by hydrothermal energy using river water to Busan Eco-Delta Smart City (using Pyeonggangcheon Stream), Incheon Environmental Research Complex (using Ara River), and Han-River Environment Research Center (using North Han River).

From 2020, the provision of hydrothermal power will be extended to public sector buildings, including Han River Flood Control Office and Gwangmyeong Siheung Urban High-tech Industry Center, and large private sector buildings, including Samsung Medical Center.

② Building a foundation for the use of hydrothermal energy by revising related systems and reinforcing the integration of the hydrothermal energy projects with urban planning

As a foundation to promote hydrothermal energy, the Ministry of Environment will revise various systems (Enforcement Decree of the River Act, Enforcement Decree of various Water Management Acts, etc.) to reduce water-related fees*, including river water usage fee, water use charge, and dam water usage fee. 

* river and dam water usage fee (residential and water 52.7 won/ton), water use charge (170 won/ton)

The revision can be made because hydrothermal energy does not reduce water volume as it returns every water intake (100%) to rivers or dams, and uses water temperature only without adding pollutants into water. 

It is hard to provide hydrothermal energy to individual buildings because of previously built infrastructure, including roads and underground facilities. Therefore, to prevent such cases, the ministry will cooperate with local governments to design new towns and large-scale industrial complexes using hydrothermal energy.

* (Case) An agreement was made to introduce eco-friendly hydrothermal energy to the development project for the public housing site in Daeim, Gyeongsan, the area where a district-level development plan was approved recently (between K-water and LH in January 2020)

Also, the ministry will work together with other government agencies* to include hydrothermal energy as renewable energy for 'Energy Efficiency Rating and Zero-energy Building Certification'.

* Cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to collect and analyze standardized base data, and make an algorithm for evaluation.

③ Support for the growth of the hydrothermal energy market through technology development, Hydrothermal Project Support Group, and promotion towards local governments.

To promote hydrothermal energy, the Ministry of Environment will encourage domestic production of key components including heat exchangers and compressors. The ministry will start a national R&D project with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2020.

* Technology development project for hydrothermal cooling and heating, and renewable heat hybrid system (2020 - 2023, 23.5 billion won)

The ministry will provide thorough support to promote hydrothermal energy by nurturing professionals specialized in hydrothermal technology and establishing the Hydrothermal Project Support Group with private companies, academia, and public organizations for advice on policy and technology, and exchanges between companies.

The ministry will hold briefing sessions for local governments nationwide, investigate every recently built public building about the possibility of using hydrothermal energy, and strengthen approachability for potential users of hydrothermal energy by building a promotion center for hydrothermal energy.

The ministry will put its utmost efforts to make hydrothermal energy the leader of renewable energy market by flawlessly implementing the 'Activation Plan for Eco-friendly Hydrothermal Energy'.

"The Activation Plan for Eco-friendly Hydrothermal Energy will accelerate the use of hydrothermal energy in the private sector," stated the Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae. "With the plan, we believe hydrothermal energy will create high-quality jobs and become a new center of the Green Industry and the iconic project of the Green New Deal."