The government plans to designate "renewable energy special pilot complexes" within mega special zones and allow tenant companies to directly trade electricity generated from solar, wind and other renewable sources. The aim is to sharply strengthen industrial competitiveness by helping tenant firms meet RE100 commitments — a pledge to run entirely on renewable electricity — while removing hundreds of regulations tied to living conditions, easing concerns among companies taking part in the mega projects.
The ruling Democratic Party's special committee on mega projects and regional growth, along with the Prime Minister's Office and other government bodies, held a party-government consultation meeting at the National Assembly on the 4th to discuss support measures for mega special zones under a special act, political sources said on the 6th. The special act on mega special zones, set to be introduced this month, is understood to include about 330 general exemptions, including the removal of electricity regulations through the designation of renewable energy special pilot complexes.
The pilot complexes will supply renewable electricity to companies in the mega special zones and to industrial facilities within the complexes. Power generators inside the complexes and tenant companies would sign power purchase agreements (PPAs), allowing them to trade electricity directly without going through the power market operated by KEPCO (015760). "The pilot complexes will serve not only as power infrastructure for the mega special zones but also function as independent industrial complexes in their own right," a ruling party official said.
If PPAs are permitted, power-intensive businesses such as semiconductor plants and artificial intelligence data centers will be able to secure the renewable electricity they need at stable, predictable prices through long-term contracts with generators. That would lower the burden of meeting RE100 targets for companies while giving generators a reliable source of demand, spurring investment in renewable energy.
Various regulatory exemptions will also be introduced to support the pilot complexes. The party and government agreed to ease setback requirements for renewable power facilities and to cut rents on state- and publicly owned land. Wide-ranging deregulation to improve living conditions is also planned, aimed at attracting skilled professionals reluctant to relocate outside the capital region.
