Busan City: “Decision to Close Myeongji Incineration Plant in 2033”

[Financial News] The Myeongji Resource Energy Center (Myeongji Incineration Plant) in Gangseo-gu, Busan, which has handled household waste from the Busan area for the past 23 years, will close in 2033. 
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-su said at a press conference at City Hall on the 30th that the city had decided to close the Myeongji Resource Energy Center, taking into account the facility’s aging infrastructure, safety, and operational suitability.
The mayor explained, “We made this decision taking into account the findings of the final technical assessment report on the center and the official request for its closure received from the Gangseo District head on the 28th,” adding, “Regardless of whether new incineration facilities are expanded, we prioritized the age and safety of the existing facility and the suitability of its future operations.” 
The decision was based on the results of a technical assessment conducted under Article 13 of the Act on Support for Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry.
The center began operating in 2003 and has processed household waste from the Busan area for 23 years. However, a recent technical assessment raised the need to close it because of the facility’s aging infrastructure, and Busan City determined that continuing to operate it after major repairs would not be advisable.
The city will strengthen oversight to protect public safety and the environment until the closure is complete. It plans to continuously measure emissions using a stack monitoring system (TMS) and make the results public, while also conducting environmental impact surveys in the surrounding area. The city intends to carry out essential facility repairs and upgrades within its budget to maintain safe operations.
The city will also develop medium- and long-term measures to minimize disruptions to household waste processing caused by the facility’s closure. It will work to ensure a smooth response to the ban on direct landfilling of household waste, which takes effect in 2030, and focus its administrative efforts on establishing a stable waste-management system by 2033. To that end, it plans to comprehensively review ways to improve the efficiency of waste-treatment facilities, reduce household waste, and promote recycling, and to establish a joint response system with shared responsibilities after consulting the 16 districts and counties in the Busan area.
Before the briefing that day, the city and Gangseo District signed a memorandum of understanding covering matters necessary for the closure of the Myeongji Resource Energy Center and the stable processing of household waste.
The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor Jeon, Gangseo District head Park Sang-jun, and city council members representing Gangseo District, among others. They agreed to close the facility, set out the necessary areas of cooperation, and pledged to abide by the agreement in accordance with the principle of good faith.
Mayor Jeon said, “Trust in public administration comes from stability and predictability. Matters that have a significant impact on people’s lives must be decided through formal procedures and review,” adding, “With the center’s closure targeted for 2033, we will establish a stable waste-management system and fulfill our responsibility to the end to ensure that waste processing throughout Busan is not disrupted.”
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter