South Korea to Halve Transmission Towers and Bury Lines to Address Public Opposition
South Korea's Climate Ministry has announced a plan to significantly reduce the number of transmission towers and bury power lines, particularly in residential areas, to mitigate local opposition to new infrastructure projects. The initiative, titled "Measures to Improve Public Acceptance of Transmission Line Construction," was reported by the Seoul Economic Daily. The core strategy involves merging new transmission lines with existing ones. When a new two-circuit line is required near an existing two-circuit line, the new construction will be a four-circuit line, and the older line will be dismantled. This approach, while potentially more costly due to the construction of larger pylons and demolition work, is deemed worthwhile to prevent construction delays caused by community resistance. The plan will initially be applied to seven 345-kV facilities that transport power from the Honam region, aiming to eliminate 2,214 out of an estimated 4,723 pylons, a reduction of 46.9%.
