Incheon's Yeongjong-gu launches LPG pipeline project for underserved island village

Incheon's Yeongjong-gu district is moving forward with a village-level LPG pipeline project to address energy poverty in areas without access to city gas and ease residents' heating costs.

The district announced Friday that it has selected Keunmuri Village in Muui-dong — centered on the area around 74-1 Daemuui-ro — as the first pilot site for the project, a key campaign pledge of District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong, and has begun the necessary administrative procedures.

The project is designed to bring living conditions in outlying areas, which have been cut off from the city gas supply network due to poor infrastructure, up to the standard of urban neighborhoods.

Under the plan, a shared small-scale LPG storage tank will be installed at the center of the village, with below-ground pipelines running to each household.

Residents in the area have long had to manage their own LPG cylinder deliveries and replacements, a cumbersome process the new system is meant to replace.

Once the pipeline is in place, gas will flow continuously through meters — much like standard city gas — and the risk of safety incidents such as gas leaks is expected to drop significantly.

To keep the project on track, the district plans to hold a community briefing for Keunmuri Village residents in early December, where officials will share project details and gauge actual demand and residents' willingness to participate.

Following that, the district intends to apply for central government funding in February next year and aims to complete the pipeline network in Keunmuri Village by 2028.

Building on the results of this pilot, Yeongjong-gu plans to gradually extend the supply network to areas near the Muuido community center and the island of Somuuido.

"This project is a practical measure to narrow the energy welfare gap between the urban core and outlying areas," District Mayor Son Hwa-jeong said. "We will focus our administrative resources on securing central government funding and pushing the project forward so residents can enjoy a safer and warmer winter."