Jinju City Selects Two More "Sunlight Income Villages"... Three Villages in Total to Move Forward

Selected in Second Round of Ministry of the Interior and Safety Contest: Sangindam Village in Geumgok-myeon and Majin Village in Daegok-myeon
Solar Power Facilities to Be Built on Unused Land; Construction Aims to Begin in First Half of Next Year

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province announced on October 8 that two villages, including Sangindam Village in Geumgok-myeon and Majin Village in Daegok-myeon, had been selected in the second round of the 2026 Sunlight Income Village Contest, organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The Sunlight Income Village project involves installing resident-participation solar power facilities on unused land in villages and distributing the power generation revenue to residents or using it for shared village welfare projects.

[Photo provided by Jinju City] View of Indam Reservoir in Sangindam Village, Geumgok-myeon, Jinju. Sangindam Village was selected in the second round of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 2026 Sunlight Income Village Project contest and plans to install a 998.4-kW floating solar power facility at Indam Reservoir.

Sangindam Village in Geumgok-myeon, selected in this round, plans to install a floating solar power facility with a capacity of 998.4 kW on Indam Reservoir, with an 85% resident consent rate and 10 cooperative members participating.

Majin Village in Daegok-myeon had a 100% resident consent rate, with 12 cooperative members participating. It plans to build a 999.75 kW ground-mounted solar power facility using land at Majin Branch of Daegok Elementary School and nearby farmland.

Sangindam Village was selected to proceed with the project, while Majin Village was selected on the condition that it address certain outstanding requirements, including related procedures and prior consultations.

Jinju City plans to complete Majin Village's outstanding requirements this month and pursue the project in both villages with the goal of beginning construction in the first half of 2027, after completing related administrative procedures, including permitting.

With the selection of the two villages in the second round, the number of villages in Jinju City pursuing the Sunlight Income Village project has risen to three, including Sogok Village in Jeongchon-myeon, selected in the first round.

The city plans to expand the use of renewable energy through resident-participation solar power projects and use the revenue from power generation to support local residents' incomes and shared village projects.

However, actual power generation revenue and the amount distributed to residents are expected to vary depending on power output after the facilities are installed, operating costs, and the revenue-sharing arrangement.

A city official said, "This additional selection will allow us to expand resident-participation renewable energy projects," adding, "We will review the conditions in each village and the relevant administrative procedures and provide support to help move the projects forward."

With Jinju City's Sunlight Income Village project expanding to three villages, completing the administrative procedures for installing solar power facilities and securing stable revenue from power generation are expected to be key challenges in operating the projects going forward.

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