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August 06, 2009
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Additionally, small plants will be built in 15 agricultural reservoirs among the 96 chosen to have the heights of their levees increased, the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs said in a report the JoongAng Ilbo has exclusively obtained. The electricity generated from the river power plants will total 278,000 megawatt hours annually, enough to supply electricity to 56,000 households. The largest power plant, in Haman along the Nakdong River, is expected to generate 43,000 megawatt hours a year. A plant in Seungchon is expected to generate the smallest amount at some 3,700 megawatt hours. “Although the amount of electricity generated from the plants is relatively small [compared to large-scale power plants] the significance of this project is that it uses renewable energy for green growth,” said an official at the land ministry. Seven power plants will be installed along the reservoirs of Nakdong River, three along the Geum River, four along the Yeongsan River and one along the Seomjin River. Meanwhile, environment evaluation reports on the river projects said they could cause unintended harm, including impact to endangered species. The report suggested ways to mitigate such damage. One of the species that is considered to be threatened by the development is the dan-yang-ssuk-bu-jaeng-i, academically known as Aster altaicus var. unchiyamae kitam. This plant, which is in the chrysanthemum family, only grows along the southern Han River in Yeoju. Another endangered species, the Nakdong gudgeon, a freshwater fish of the carp family, could be harmed by refurbishing mostly around the Nakdong and Geum rivers. Another endangered species is the otter, which inhabits areas around the parts of Namhan and Yeongsan rivers. The environmental report, which is mandatory for any government-led development project and is created by environmental experts, advised the government to take cautionary steps. It said some areas could be designated as preservation sites where workers could refrain from using tools that generate loud noise that could disturb the environment. To protect the environment, the report also advised developers not to build parking lots along the rivers. The report, however, has a long way to go before it is fully completed. The report mentioned that raising levees could cut off routes that fish travel, while trash could pile up and contribute to worsening water quality. However, it did not delineate a model showing how the water quality could be harmed because exact details on levee construction have not yet been formulated. Such omissions could delay the entire project, which the government hopes to complete by 2011. By Kim Sun-ha, Kang Chan-su [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr] |
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