A renewable energy power plant has recently been constructed in North Pyongyan Province, North Korean sources report.
“A massive renewable energy power plant was built to deal with the chronic lack of electricity in North Pyongan Province,” a source in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK. “The power plant now supplies Sinuiju and other areas of the province.”
Meari, a North Korean propaganda outlet, published an article on June 2 entitled “The Construction of a Renewable Energy Power Plant that Produces 1,000 kW by the North Pyongan Province Electricity Department.”
The article states that a “renewable energy power plant was built on around a 300 square meter lot on the lower part of the Yalu River” and that “The Electricity Department built around 3,600 solar panels, electricity transformers, and electric cables to ensure the continued, self-sufficient supply of electricity.”
The source told Daily NK that the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and government officials in North Pyongan Province made the decision to embark on the construction of the new power plant. Officials emphasized the use of renewable energy and new ways to supply electricity to the province.
A separate source in North Pyongan Province said that the decision to move forward with the project led to the construction of an “electricity base” with wind power and solar panels in the Sinuiju area.
“They are now moving forward with expanding the existing infrastructure by four-fold,” he said.
The North Korean authorities appear to be keenly interested in both the production and supply of electricity in the area due to the Sinuiju modernization project.
The Rodong Sinmun reported on March 20 that “[the North Pyongan Province Electricity Department] is expanding power generation in the area and increasing the amount of energy available” and that Kim Jong Un “made an on-the-spot visit to the Sinuiju construction site in November of last year and ordered that renewable energy be used to revamp the electricity supply system in the city.”
“The authorities are calling the construction of the power plant a model for other areas to become self-sufficient and use renewable energy to meet their electricity needs,” said the source.
The Rodong Sinmun published an article on March 20 entitled “Let’s Imitate Them [North Pyongan Province’s Electricity Department] and Widely Develop and Use Renewable Energy.” The article states that the Electricity Department in North Pyongan Province “recently constructed a massive renewable energy power plant that is supplying electricity to important areas in Sinuiju and the local people.”
