Stock Photo [Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Aju News) -- In an effort to utilize the area surrounding an abandoned coal mine and revitalize the local economy, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled a plan to turn an old coal mine into a solar power plant.
The trade ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that it would embark on 'solar mine' test project, which would create profit by building solar power plants on a waste ore yard of a disused coal mine in Hambaek, which was closed down in 1993, some 158 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in April next year.
The ministry emphasized the solar mine project is eco-friendly as it uses up spaces which are useless for any other uses and would help greatly in improving the economy of surrounding areas as profits made from the solar mine will be returned to the local society.
If the test project is proven to be successful, the trade ministry said it plans to look for more abandoned mines and available spaces to set up more solar mines.
The trade ministry's solar mine test project follows President Moon Jae-in's energy campaign aimed at replacing fossil and nuclear energy with clean and renewable energy like solar and wind power.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
