The Korea Expressway Corporation is expanding solar power installations on highway idle land, but it has been reported that three-quarters of the total potential capacity remains unused. If current plans proceed, the utilization rate is expected to remain at 36% by 2030, leaving a significant portion of the potential capacity unutilized.
According to data submitted by Rep. Bok Gi-wang of the Democratic Party to the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, the potential capacity for solar installations on highway land was 653 MW as of the end of last year, with only 162 MW actually installed. This means that only 24.8% of the total capacity is being utilized, leaving 491 MW uninstalled.
Utilization rates are particularly low for slopes, which account for the majority of the potential capacity. The potential capacity for solar installations on slopes is 566 MW, representing about 87% of the total, but only 116 MW has been installed, resulting in a utilization rate of 20.5%. This is lower than the 70.0% utilization rate for interchanges and junctions and 29.2% for rest area parking lots.
Progress on solar installations at rest area parking lots has also been slow. Of the 163 rest areas where solar installation is mandated under renewable energy regulations, only 35 have completed installations, representing just 21%. The remaining 128 rest areas have yet to finish their installations.
Among these, 51 rest areas have secured conditions to connect the generated electricity to the transmission network, while 77 rest areas face challenges in making such connections. In terms of planned capacity, the 77 locations without secured transmission networks account for 14 MW, which is more than the 11 MW of the 51 locations that have secured connections.
The Korea Expressway Corporation is managing the 77 locations that are difficult to connect to the transmission network as candidate sites, stating that private operators can proceed with projects once they negotiate connection conditions with Korea Electric Power Corporation. Consequently, the timeline for solar installations at these rest areas will depend on the availability of transmission networks.
The pace of expansion has also been identified as a challenge. The Korea Expressway Corporation has established a plan to increase solar facilities by 15 MW annually starting in December 2023, with the goal of achieving this target over the next two years. However, if this pace continues, the utilization rate is expected to remain at 36% of the total potential capacity by 2030.
Rep. Bok estimated that the direct installation costs for solar power at the 77 locations without secured transmission networks would amount to approximately 40.4 billion won. If this investment is spread over five years, it would average about 8.1 billion won annually, which is about 8% of the Korea Expressway Corporation's average net profit of 96.8 billion won over the past three years.
Bok stated, "The Korea Expressway Corporation has declared its intention to create energy-independent highways, but with three-quarters of the land available for installation remaining vacant, this is merely talk. The 2030 plan needs to be revised, and direct installation plans for the 77 rest areas must be established."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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