Mayor Kim Bora of Anseong: "Regionally Differentiated Electricity Rates Must Reflect Anseong's Sacrifices and Contributions"

Mayor Kim Bora Raises Concerns Over Regionally Differentiated Electricity Rates
"Concentration of 765kV Sin-Anseong Substation, High-Voltage Transmission Lines, and Towers"
"Anseong Should Not Be Uniformly Classified Simply as Part of the Southern Metropolitan Area"
"The Burdens of Transmission and Substation Facilities Must Also Be Included in the Criteria"

Kim Bora, Mayor of Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, has publicly raised concerns about the government's proposed "regionally differentiated electricity rate system."

Bora Kim, Mayor of Anseong. Screenshot from Mayor Bora Kim’s Facebook page.

On August 22, Mayor Kim stated via social media, "Why should Anseong be evaluated solely on the basis that it is part of 'southern metropolitan area'?" She added, "The sacrifices and contributions Anseong has made for the power supply to the nation and the greater metropolitan area must be properly reflected."

Anseong is home to a concentration of large-scale substation facilities and high-voltage transmission lines and towers, including the 765kV Sin-Anseong Substation.

Mayor Kim emphasized, "These facilities are not just for Anseong." She continued, "Residents have endured restrictions on property rights, damage to the landscape, and limitations on regional development to ensure a stable power supply to the entire metropolitan area."

The government is currently reviewing measures to apply industrial electricity rates differently by region. This plan would provide relatively greater discounts to the southern and central regions, and apply differentiated rates between the northern and southern sectors of the capital region. Under these measures, Anseong could be grouped under the southern metropolitan area, which may receive little to no discount.

Mayor Kim noted, "I agree with the policy direction of recognizing the contributions of power-producing areas and reflecting transmission costs, power self-sufficiency, and balanced regional development in electricity rates." However, she stressed, "It is unacceptable to classify Anseong merely as part of the southern metropolitan area."

She further pointed out, "Even within the metropolitan area, if regions are to be divided, we must ask whether an actual comparison has been made regarding the electricity production and consumption, and the burdens of transmission and substation facilities, between northern areas like Gimpo and Paju and Anseong."

Screenshot of BORA KIM, Mayor of Anseong, on Facebook homepage

Mayor Kim stated, "Not only areas that generate electricity, but also those that have borne the burden of transmission infrastructure to deliver electricity to large cities and industrial complexes, should have their sacrifices recognized." She added, "Anseong is not seeking special privileges simply because it is part of the metropolitan area, but is asking to be properly recognized for its role in supplying power to the nation and the metropolitan area."

She went on to say, "The government should transparently disclose the criteria for regional divisions and rate calculations, and carefully reexamine each city's and county's power self-sufficiency, as well as the burdens of transmission and substation facilities and contributions to the national grid." She concluded, "A truly fair regionally differentiated electricity rate system must recognize both the contributions and sacrifices of areas supplying electricity and those accommodating transmission."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.