Rural development firm to build 83 eco-friendly power plants by 2016

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's rural development corporation said
Thursday that it will build 83 eco-friendly power plants in the coming years to
help the country cut back on fossil fuel imports.

The plan calls for the construction of 57 small hydroelectric power stations, 20
wind power and six solar energy plants by 2016, Korea Rural Community Corp. said.
The combined output of the power plants, if constructed, is expected to reach
2.22 million megawatt hours of electricity, the equivalent of 286.5 billion won
(US$251.4 million) worth of crude oil imports.
The state-run company said it will enter the so-called clean development
mechanism (CDM) business by 2016 and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.48
million tons that can be converted into carbon emission credits.
CDMs refer to projects that aim to reduce worldwide greenhouse emissions cited
for causing global warming.
South Korea is currently not obliged to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions
under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The government, however, said it will voluntarily
implement policies to cut emissions by 30 percent from the business as usual
level by 2020 compared to 2005.
The public company, in addition, said that it will implement projects to harness
terrestrial heat to be used by the country's greenhouses. Roughly 200 billion won
will be used this year on building eco-friendly greenhouses with the total to
reach 1 trillion won by 2014.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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