The government plans to broaden the scope of thermal energy recognition to utilize heat from sewage and groundwater. In water protection areas, it will ease restrictions on solar power projects that contribute to local income and allow for community participation in floating solar installations.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Regulatory Reform Committee announced on October 19 that they have developed a plan titled 'Regulatory Reform Measures for the Water Industry to Compete with Global Standards.' The initiative aims to expand energy sources and project sites previously limited by water-related regulations and establish criteria to support the export of AI water treatment technology.
First, the types of water recognized as thermal energy will increase. Currently, only surface seawater and river water are included. The government plans to expand this to include sewage and groundwater, enhancing the distribution of thermal energy that utilizes temperature differences. The specific criteria for recognition will be announced by the Minister of Climate.
Additionally, regulations on solar power installations in water protection areas will be relaxed. Currently, solar facilities can only be installed on rooftops of buildings, designated urban and rural planning sites, and residential lots. In the future, if agricultural cooperatives or local resident cooperatives meet certain conditions, such as contributing to local income, they will be allowed to install land-based solar power systems without site restrictions.
Floating solar projects will be permitted if managed and operated directly by surface managers, with local residents participating in the business. Surface managers include local governments, Korea Water Resources Corporation, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and Korea Rural Community Corporation. The government aims to expand solar power installations in protected areas while setting conditions for operational entities and community involvement.
Financial support will also be increased to connect power generation profits to local income. The legal basis for supporting renewable energy projects through special support programs utilizing watershed funds will be clarified. Currently, the scale of special support projects is determined by the watershed committee within a range of 30% of annual resident support project costs, but this cap will be removed for renewable energy projects that enhance local income.
The government will also broaden opportunities for private participation in eco-friendly projects around dams. Currently, local governments or water resource management authorities must directly manage eco-friendly projects like energy self-sufficient complexes. The government plans to establish a legal basis for sale, lease, and entrusted management to expand operational entities to include private companies. Details regarding the subjects, procedures, and criteria for entrusted management will be specified through amendments to enforcement regulations.
In the AI water treatment sector, the government will address regulatory updates that have not kept pace with technology adoption. According to the Ministry of Climate, South Korea is the only country to implement AI across all processes in water treatment facilities, but universal design standards and performance verification and operational criteria are not yet established. This makes it difficult to present common standards for performance and operation despite having the technology.
The government plans to establish a legal basis for AI water treatment operations under the Water Supply Act and develop an AI certification and evaluation system along with design, construction, and operational standards. To support the international expansion of domestic technology, the government will also pursue the establishment of international standards (ISO) for AI water management certification.
A government official stated, "This plan aims to promote innovation in domestic water industry technology and lead to changes that citizens and businesses can feel on the ground. We will promptly pursue follow-up measures such as legal improvements and will also look into additional regulatory improvement needs in the field."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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