Gyeonggi Province Fosters 'Water System Fund Sunlight Income Villages' in 6 Cities and Counties Upstream of Paldang
Gyeonggi Province has begun providing support so that renewable energy projects totaling 21.9 billion won, applied for by six cities and counties upstream of Paldang—including Yongin, Gwangju, Icheon, Yangpyeong, Yeoju, and Gapyeong—can be selected in the Han River Water System Management Committee's public call for proposals.
If the projects are selected, residents in water source regulated areas will be able to earn income through solar power generation without any separate cost burden and reduce their electricity and heating bills.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 10th that six cities and counties within the province applied for projects totaling 21.9 billion won in late July for the '2027 Renewable Energy Special Resident Support Project' promoted by the Han River Water System Management Committee. By city and county, the application amounts were 5.7 billion won for Gapyeong County, 5.6 billion won for Yangpyeong County, 5 billion won for Yeoju, 3.1 billion won for Icheon, 2.4 billion won for Gwangju, and 100 million won for Yongin.
The Renewable Energy Special Resident Support Project aims to provide income to residents and reduce electricity and heating bills by installing renewable energy facilities such as solar power and heat pumps in water source management areas. The eligible applicants include Gyeonggi Province as well as North Chungcheong Province, Gangwon Province, and Seoul. A total budget of 22.1 billion won has been allocated, and the plan is to conduct evaluations during September and allocate the budget in order of high scores. Unlike existing projects led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Fund Sunlight Income Village model is a 100% support method with no resident cost-sharing at all.
The support project is divided into three parts: the creation of 'Fund Sunlight Income Villages' that generate resident income using solar power generation, support for installing solar power and heat pumps in individual households, and support for installing heat pumps in shared facilities such as village community centers. A heat pump is a high-efficiency facility that provides heating and cooling by utilizing heat from the air or ground.
Gyeonggi Province is operating a joint support system involving water resource and energy departments and experts from the Korea Energy Agency so that as many of the six cities' and counties' projects as possible can be selected. On the 6th, the province conducted project plan consulting for city and county officials. Experts from the Korea Energy Agency explained the evaluation criteria for the public call and key review points, and examined the technical feasibility and implementation viability of the submitted projects.
Going forward, Gyeonggi Province plans to respond to the Han River Water System Management Committee's review process and continue to support the cities and counties until the final selection scheduled for mid-September.
Kim Yeon-ji, head of the Energy Industry Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We will provide support so that residents who have endured regulations for a long time to protect water sources can earn income through renewable energy projects and reduce their electricity and heating bills," adding, "Together with the Water Resources Headquarters and the Korea Energy Agency, we will actively support the selection of as many projects from the six cities and counties as possible."