Three areas in Gangwon Province — Mungogsodo-dong in Taebaek, Jinbu-myeon in Pyeongchang-gun and Geojin-eup in Goseong-gun — have been selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources' competitive grant program for city gas pipeline construction, securing 21.7 billion won ($16 million) in national funding.
The central government program aims to build city gas infrastructure in three locations per metropolitan region, with the option to add one additional candidate site.
According to Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province on Tuesday, the project will combine 21.69 billion won in national funds with 1.39 billion won from the provincial government, 5.89 billion won from municipal governments and 3.27 billion won from city gas companies to construct 42.7 kilometers of supply pipeline and deliver city gas to 6,836 households.
The project is expected to improve the efficiency of city gas supply and contribute over the long term to reducing supply costs and creating conditions for lower utility rates.
It is also expected to ease the fuel cost burden on residents who have relied on relatively expensive energy sources, address gaps in energy welfare coverage and help reduce energy inequality between regions.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province has pursued the expansion of city gas access for more than a decade but has struggled due to constrained local fiscal conditions.
The secured national funding is expected to ease the strain on local finances and give fresh momentum to large-scale pipeline construction projects.
Han Yeong-seon, director of the province's industry bureau, said the selection "will serve as an opportunity to address energy welfare blind spots in areas where city gas supply has been difficult and to further expand the city gas infrastructure across the province." Han added that the province would "continue to ease residents' fuel costs and narrow the energy gap between regions through the expansion of city gas access."
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