국가 AI 거점 꿈꾸는 솔라시도…'특별법' 통과는 언제[목포MBC 뉴스데스크]

[Mokpo MBC News] ◀ Anchor ▶ As the government has set the nurturing of the AI ​​industry and balanced regional development as key national agenda items, Haenam Solasido is garnering attention as a national hub for AI and renewable energy. However, concerns are being raised regarding the speed of the project's implementation as the processing of the special act to support this is being delayed. Reporter Park Jong-ho reports. ◀ Report ▶ The Guseong District of Haenam Solasido, equipped with 98-megawatt solar panels. With a total site area of ​​20 million square meters, it is producing enough electricity to power approximately 30,000 households annually. The National AI Computing Center is scheduled to break ground next month and begin full-scale operations in 2028. While it is attracting attention as a future industrial hub combining abundant renewable energy with AI infrastructure, expectations within the local community are also growing as the government has set balanced regional development as a core agenda item. ◀ SYNC ▶ President Lee Jae-myung / Press Conference on the 1st Anniversary of His Inauguration "The policy of prioritizing local areas for balanced regional development will continue. If you wait a little longer, unexpected results will emerge. There are some things currently being discussed, so tangible results will begin to surface." However, the special act, which is to serve as the core foundation for the project's implementation, has failed to pass the National Assembly for over six months. Concerns are being raised that the delay in drafting the relevant legislation will inevitably cause setbacks not only in the spatial planning of industrial complexes to attract businesses and the construction of infrastructure such as sewage treatment plants, but also in the government's plan to decentralize national AI infrastructure to the provinces. ◀ INT ▶ Mayor Myung Hyun-kwan of Haenam County "Once the conditions are in place to push these projects forward, they will proceed without any setbacks. It is regrettable that the special act has not yet passed the National Assembly. However, we are working hard to ensure its passage, and I believe it will be." The Special Act is expected to be discussed in earnest during the second half of the National Assembly session, but the actual timing of its passage remains uncertain as it requires agreement between the ruling and opposition parties. As this serves as the first test case for expanding national AI infrastructure beyond the capital area and fostering an RE100 industry ecosystem, local governments and the industrial sector across the country are closely watching the outcome of the Special Act's processing. [S/U] Haenam County has urged the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, the central government, and the National Assembly to expedite the processing of the Special Act. This is Park Jong-ho from MBC News.