The establishment of 'solar income villages,' where residents share profits from solar power generation, is set to gain momentum in Jeonbuk Province.
On August 3, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province announced that 17 villages across eight cities and counties have been selected as project sites in the first round of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's solar income village initiative.
Solar income villages are community-driven renewable energy projects where local communities install solar power facilities on idle land and use the profits from electricity sales for community welfare and joint projects. This initiative allows residents to become energy producers, generating local income and enhancing the sustainability of their villages. It is estimated that operating a 1 MW power plant could yield monthly dividends of approximately 450,000 won for 30 households during the initial five-year grace period.
Among the selected villages, Wanju's Aedu and Waemok villages will begin their projects immediately.
The remaining 16 villages will proceed with their projects after meeting conditions such as securing land and enhancing the power grid. Villages selected conditionally will initiate formal approval processes within six months after addressing the required improvements.
The conditionally selected villages include: Iksan's Yeosan-myeon (Sangok, Haok, Sawol, Namsan, Seokgyo), Iksan's Yeosan-myeon (Yeonmyeong, Dogyang, Sangyang), Iksan's Yeosan-myeon (Hakdong, Sinri), Iksan's Yeosan-myeon (Nuhang, Deoksa, Nodong, Hyeoncheon), Gimje's Geumgu-myeon (Yongjeon), Gimje's Geumgu-myeon (Geumcheon, Guam, Daeyul), Wanju's Gosan-myeon (Seobong), Jinan's Donghyang-myeon (Bongok), Jinan's Baegun-myeon (Dongsan), Jinan's Jeongcheon-myeon (Mugeo), Jangsu's Gyeobuk-myeon (Sanchon), Imsil's Imsil-eup (Hwaseong, Junggeum), Imsil's Gwancheon-myeon (Bangdong), Gochang's Mujang-myeon (Sami), Gochang's Buan-myeon (Daedong), and Buan's Jusan-myeon (Sandol).
The province plans to focus its administrative efforts on supporting villages facing challenges in project implementation due to insufficient power infrastructure, facilitating the early installation of energy storage systems (ESS) in collaboration with relevant agencies.
Moving forward, the province aims to expand the establishment of solar income villages by collaborating with cities, counties, and related organizations, providing step-by-step support from community formation to site discovery, power grid connection review, and project planning.
Building on these achievements, the province plans to establish 500 solar income villages by 2030, expanding community participation in renewable energy projects.
Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province announced on August 3 that it has been selected as an excellent institution in the '2025 Local Government Active Administration Comprehensive Evaluation' conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, receiving a commendation from the Minister.
Active administration refers to the proactive handling of public duties by civil servants, improving unreasonable regulations for the public good based on creativity and expertise.
The province was recognized for achieving the most significant improvement in active administration evaluation scores among cities and provinces nationwide compared to the previous year.
Scores increased across various evaluation criteria, including representation and promotion of active administration, expansion of active administration mileage, pre-consultation achievements, and identification of best practices, with particular praise for efforts to enhance active administration systems.
In the city and county category, Jeongeup and Buan were also recognized as excellent institutions, receiving commendations from the Minister of the Interior and Safety.
Both institutions have been acknowledged for their consistent efforts in promoting active administration, having been named excellent institutions for five consecutive years.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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