[The Hwankyung Ilbo] The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Jung-ae) said that a partial revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, which focuses on unifying consultations on wind power projects to the Ministry of Environment, was approved at a Cabinet meeting on August 3 and will take effect from August 10.

The revision of the Enforcement Decree states that the Ministry of Environment and the heads of local environmental agencies will unify the authority to discuss wind power projects to enhance the reliability and transparency of the environmental impact assessment, while advancing the disclosure period to strategic environmental impact assessment and environmental impact assessment. 

With the unification of the Environmental Review, the Ministry of Environment predicted that the wind power generation project, a key task to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, will help resolve the environmental controversy and promote it without a hitch.

As the revision and implementation of the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act changed the timing of public disclosure of the results of the strategic environmental impact assessment and environmental impact assessment to before the project plan is finalized, it guarantees local residents' right to know and expands opportunities to participate in the assessment.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment's Wind Evaluation Consulting team has been operating a "Wind Environment Location Consulting Center" since April 1 to consult the stages from wind project planning to location suitability.

In addition, prior to the enforcement of the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, a cooperation system was prepared with the Basin (local) Environment Administration to ensure consistent and rapid environmental evaluation of wind power projects. 

"The revision of the enforcement ordinance will contribute to the expansion of renewable energy for the implementation of carbon neutrality," said Hong Jung-seop, director of the Ministry of Environment's natural conservation bureau. "We expect that the reliability and transparency of the evaluation process will be increased as well."