On the morning of the 13th, at the Gaduk Mountain Wind Power Complex in Taebaek, Gangwon Province. Despite the inclement weather, 17 large wind turbines, shaped like pinwheels, were spinning vigorously at an altitude of 1,200 meters. These wind turbines, which reach a height of 180 meters, produce 160,000 MWh of electricity each year.
This amount is sufficient for approximately 43,000 households of a four-person family to use over a year. It accounts for about 17.2% of the total wind power generation in Gangwon Province. The city of Taebaek is currently pushing for the installation of five additional wind turbines (31 MW) as part of a third-phase project. Once completed, it will transform into a large-scale wind farm with a total capacity of 100 MW.
Large-scale wind farms have often become a burden for local communities due to noise and damage to the landscape and environment. However, the Gaduk Mountain Wind Power Complex was receiving different treatment. It is the first resident-participation wind farm in Korea, created through joint investment by the city of Taebaek and Gangwon Province, and it directly shares profits with the residents.
Choi Myung-seop, head of management planning at the Taebaek Gaduk Mountain Wind Power, noted, "Village enterprises have invested in bond form and receive 10% of the investment amount as revenue each year," adding, "There are many local return projects that have residents looking forward to the third-phase project." He also mentioned, "The revenue will be used for the students of Taebaek," stating, "A total of 130 million won will be supported for each individual from elementary school admission to high school graduation."
Taebaek was once a representative mining city with the country's largest coal mine, the Jangseong Mine, along with over 340 other coal mines operating. As all mines closed due to industrial structural changes and environmental issues, the population, which once surpassed 100,000, has now dwindled to around 30,000. It is one of the regions experiencing the fastest 'population extinction' in Korea. Wind turbines have emerged as a new source of income to replace mining in the area.
The city is not just attracting wind power projects. Taebaek plans to transform the site of the closed Jangseong Mine into a methanol production facility. Together with Samcheok, Yeongwol, and Jeongseon, there are plans to process raw wood and extract hydrogen and carbon from forest biomass generated during the processing to produce clean methanol.
This project is currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility investigation by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. If the project passes the investigation and proceeds in earnest, it is expected that 22,000 tons of biomass will be produced annually from the Jangseong Mine site by 2027. Taebaek plans to expand the production scale to 100,000 tons annually by 2030.
On that day, Lee Eung-o, head of the carbon neutrality division in Taebaek, stated, "The whole world has declared carbon neutrality by 2050, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is also pushing for large container ships to transition to clean energy sources like methanol," adding, "If methanol is produced at the Jangseong Mine site and successfully established, we will expand facilities to other abandoned mines."
In addition, Taebaek is also planning to carry out a project to recycle discarded coal gangue as ceramic raw materials. This raw material can be used for eco-friendly bricks and inorganic thermal insulation materials. Kim Hak-jo, head of the national policy promotion office in Taebaek, stated, "The direct and indirect economic effects from utilizing coal gangue exceed 300 billion won," adding, "We will also work on improving the transportation network of Taebaek, known as 'island in the mainland,' to establish alternative industries."