District Heating for 17,000 Households to Be Supplied in Sejong Using Sewage Heat

A project is being promoted in Sejong City to produce heating energy—enough for 17,000 households to use for a year—by utilizing waste heat and biogas generated at the Sejong sewage treatment plant. The plan aims to increase the energy self-sufficiency of sewage treatment facilities by supplying the energy generated in the wastewater treatment process, which would otherwise go unused, to local district heating.

On September 28, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that it will sign a "business agreement for establishing an energy self-sufficiency foundation for sewage treatment facilities through utilizing biogas and sewage heat" with Sejong City and Korea District Heating Corporation at Sejong City Hall.

Yonhap News

The target facility is Sejong Water Quality Restoration Center A. In the previous year, its average daily effluent was approximately 59,000 tons, meaning that if all treated water is utilized, about 105,000 gigacalories (Gcal) of heat can be recovered per year. This amount of heat is sufficient to cover the annual heating needs of approximately 17,000 households.

Under the plan, biogas will first be used to generate electricity, and the waste heat from this process, along with sewage heat, will be utilized together to supply 1 Gcal of heat per hour to district heating. Sejong City and Korea District Heating Corporation expect to see annual direct and indirect economic benefits of about 450 million won and 200 million won, respectively, from the project.

Sejong City will provide the demonstration site, biogas, and treated sewage water, and will also facilitate administrative procedures such as permitting. Korea District Heating Corporation will be responsible for building infrastructure and providing technical support to connect both sewage heat and biogas-generated waste heat to district heating.

The government is also working to revise policies for broader utilization of sewage heat. In July, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment revised the "Guidelines for the Master Sewerage Improvement Plan," making it mandatory to assess the potential for sewage heat utilization at any sewage treatment facility with a daily capacity of 5,000 cubic meters or more.

Furthermore, when calculating the energy self-sufficiency rate for sewage treatment facilities, not only internally used energy but also external supplies such as district heating will be included. There are also plans to revise the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of the Development, Use, and Diffusion of New and Renewable Energy to include sewage heat as water-source heat, a type of renewable energy.

Kim Han-seung, First Vice Minister at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, said, "Sewage heat can be obtained close to urban areas and maintains a relatively stable temperature throughout the year, making it a crucial heat source for achieving carbon neutrality. We will continue to provide policy and institutional support to ensure sewage heat plays a major role in establishing the energy self-sufficiency of sewage treatment facilities."

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