5개 발전공기업 본사 어디로?…나주 유치 기대감 / KBS 2026.06.15.

[Anchor] With the second phase of the relocation of public institutions to provincial areas scheduled for the second half of this year, interest is mounting regarding where the headquarters of state-owned power companies, which are pushing for consolidation, will go. Expectations are rising as Naju Innovation City, where energy public enterprises are concentrated, is also being cited as a strong candidate. Reporter Baek Mi-seon reports. [Report] This is the Yeosu Headquarters of Korea South-East Power (KOSPO), which supplies electricity generated by burning coal to industrial complexes. Including KOSPO, there are a total of five state-owned power companies. These are subsidiaries of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and are headquartered in Jinju, Gyeongnam; Busan; and Taean, Chungnam. With the closure of coal-fired power generation scheduled for 2040 and consolidation anticipated, a war of nerves is unfolding among local governments over attracting the integrated headquarters, which is expected to generate a combined revenue of 30 trillion won. While Jinju, home to KOSPO's headquarters, has already begun a joint response with the labor union, Sejong, home to the Government Complex, and Naju, where KEPCO and its group companies are located, are also emerging as potential candidate sites. Expectations are rising for Naju to host the relocation as President Lee Jae-myung recently reaffirmed the priority rights associated with administrative integration and his policy to strengthen bases during the second phase of relocation at a press conference marking his first anniversary in office. [President Lee Jae-myung, 1st Anniversary Press Conference / August 8: "Because they are dispersed, the concentration effect is somewhat diminished. Local energy generation is somewhat low. This time, I intend to consolidate them and concentrate operations. I believe that is the only way to increase local energy production."] On the other hand, the fact that the headquarters of state-owned power companies are not located within the region and that power plant facilities are concentrated in the western or Yeongnam regions could act as a disadvantage. With the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment scheduled to announce the interim results of a research project on the direction of reorganizing state-owned power companies this month and begin gathering opinions, attention is focused on whether attracting the headquarters to Naju could become the first instance of preferential treatment following administrative integration. This is Baek Mi-seon reporting for KBS News. Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI learning) are prohibited.