Kim Wang-gyu, chief of Yanggu-gun in Gangwon Province, said Monday the county is exploring the possibility of building pumped-storage hydropower plants using Paro Lake and Soyang Lake.
Pumped-storage power plants generate electricity by releasing water from a higher elevation to a lower one.
"We will closely examine Yanggu's locational conditions, economic feasibility and potential benefits for regional development in connection with the construction of a pumped-storage plant," Kim said. "If we determine that Yanggu has sufficient grounds to be a suitable site, we will actively pursue the project by gathering the opinions of the county council and residents."
The transition committee for the ninth directly elected county administration had previously proposed that Yanggu — a region where mountains and rivers converge — could be well suited for pumped-storage generation, given the availability of water at high elevations.
Working-level officials from Yanggu-gun met Monday with the second vice minister of the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy to discuss the feasibility of building pumped-storage plants using the two lakes and to request government-level attention and cooperation for advancing the project.
Yanggu-gun plans to brief the county council on the rationale for pursuing the project and the direction of its review, recognizing that broad community understanding and consensus are essential given the scale of a major national infrastructure undertaking.
The county plans to continue discussions with the community through public hearings and other resident consultation processes.
Earlier, Yanggu-gun visited the Yangyang Pumped Storage Power Plant to benchmark domestic construction and operating practices and to assess the facility's impact on local communities firsthand.
The visit covered the plant's site conditions and operating methods, environmental effects, and examples of resident support and community cooperation.
The county plans to assess the viability of a pumped-storage plant based on its abundant water resources — including Paro and Soyang lakes — and its mountainous terrain, while conducting a comprehensive review of project feasibility, economic ripple effects and environmental impact.
Should the project move forward, the county expects it to stimulate the local economy through large-scale construction activity, create jobs, expand local infrastructure and lay the groundwork for long-term regional growth.
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