A public power company will be able to use a decommissioned coal ash landfill as a site for energy transition facilities. Due to this regulatory easing, public power companies expect to reduce expenses by 370 billion won and advance the construction schedule by about one year.
The Ministry of Environment noted on the 16th that it will implement the 'regulatory rationalization for utilizing power company landfill sites' within this month. This plan is a follow-up measure to the 'advanced management system for waste landfill facilities' announced during the interministerial council meeting on national key issues and economic affairs on Jan. 22.
According to the current waste management law, when burying waste, it is necessary to cover it with soil at least 60 cm thick, a process known as 'final capping.' However, even though the coal ash landfills of power plants have a low risk of pollution, significant expenses are incurred due to regulations requiring soil to be stacked. There are also cases where post-management is conducted due to unclear regulations, even though they are not subject to it.
In response, the Ministry of Environment has decided to exempt power company landfills from the final capping obligation by the end of this year. It also plans to exclude landfills that did not cause environmental pollution during their operation from post-management obligations among the decommissioned power company landfills.
Five major public power companies in South Korea, including Dongsuh Power, West Power, South East Power, South Power, and Central Power, plan to replace coal ash landfills with liquefied natural gas (LNG) power generation. Exempting final capping will enable these five companies to save approximately 370 billion won in expenses. When the post-management procedure is omitted, the start date for LNG construction is expected to be shortened by up to 24 months.
Kim Go-eung, director of the resource circulation bureau at the Ministry of Environment, said, 'Securing industrial sites in our country with its limited territory is a challenging issue.' He added, 'The rationalization of regulations will allow for quick acquisition of industrial sites without separate environmental destruction, and it is expected to contribute to accelerating the energy transition of domestic power companies.'