MOE Launches Pilot Projects to Improve Energy Independence

The Ministry of Environment selected sewerage plants in five cities -- Bucheon, Ansan, Asan, Gunsan, and Mungyeong – for pilot projects to raise energy independence.

Among 22 cities which showed their wish to join the project, five were selected based on diverse items such as capability to conduct the project and contribution to energy independence.

Through the project, the Ministry plans to provide high energy-efficient equipments and natural energy production facilities to sewerage plants in above five cities. The project will be promoted until 2012 and exemplary models are going to be applied to the entire sewerage plants so as to record 50% of energy independence rate by 2030.

Bucheon and Gunsan will produce biogas from sewerage sludge and provide electricity through cogeneration. Then the biogas will be provided to sewerage sludge incineration facility as auxiliary fuel after being refined.

In addition to cogeneration using biogas, Ansan will use temperature difference energy to provide auxiliary fuel for heating.

Mungyeong will maximize biogas production through combined treatment of organic resources including livestock and food wastewater.

Asan, which is already equipped with solar power plant and small hydropower plant, will be able to use the most of potential energy in sewage plant by building cogeneration facility using biogas.

The Ministry said the successful completion of the project will lead to the energy independence rate of 21 to 58%. In addition, it expects that 31,860MWh of electricity will be replaced and 20,836 tons of greenhouse gas will be reduced annually, which correspond to economic benefit of 20.5billion won per year.

Jeong-gyun Na, Byeong-cheol Kwon (+82-2-2110-6884) / Water Supply and Sewerage Policy Division, The Ministry of Environment