Seongnam plans new 500-tonne waste incinerator, targets February 2028 completion
In short
Seongnam City is building a replacement for its 28-year-old waste incinerator at the Sangdaewon-dong environment energy facility in Jungwon-gu, with a target completion date of February 2028. The new plant is to handle 500 tonnes of household waste a day, replacing a facility that has run since 1998 at 600 tonnes a day. The city says the project responds to the capital region's ban on direct landfilling of household waste.
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Seongnam City plans to build a replacement waste incineration facility at the Sangdaewon-dong environment energy site in Jungwon-gu, with a target completion date of February 2028, according to Asia Economy, Seoul Economic Daily and Newsis, which all reported the announcement on October 7. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The new plant is designed to process 500 tonnes of household waste a day. Asia Economy and Seoul Economic Daily reported that construction began in August 2024 and is 36% complete, and that the facility will occupy 6,500㎡ of the roughly 76,000㎡ site, next to the existing incinerator. That incinerator has operated since 1998 and handles 600 tonnes a day, the two outlets reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Seoul Economic Daily reported that the project is meant to respond to the ban on direct landfilling of household waste in the capital region, which took effect in January, shifting treatment toward incineration and recycling. The paper said the project is structured as a profit-sharing private investment project, with the operator to run the facility for 20 years after completion. Asia Economy also described the project as a response to the landfill ban. [ 1 , 2 ]
On residents, Seoul Economic Daily reported that the city signed an agreement with a residents' consultative body in August last year and established a support fund for about 500 households inside a 300-metre indirect impact zone. A city official said, “With the ban on direct landfilling of household waste in the capital region, it has become important to put in place an adequate treatment system,” and that the city would pursue the replacement facility “without disruption” based on consultations with residents. [ 2 ]
Newsis reported the same daily capacity and February 2028 target in its headline, while the article text carried with its report concerned a rocket launch rather than the incinerator. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The project is the city's answer to the ban on direct landfilling of household waste in the capital region, which the documents say took effect in January, and is meant to keep treatment capacity in place. The city's consultations with nearby residents and a support fund for about 500 households point to the local sensitivity around incinerator sites.
Key facts
- Seongnam City plans to build a replacement waste incineration facility at the Sangdaewon-dong environment energy site in Jungwon-gu, targeting completion in February 2028. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The new facility is to have a daily treatment capacity of 500 tonnes. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Construction began in August 2024 and the reported progress rate is 36%. [ 1 , 2 ]
- It is to replace an existing incinerator that has operated since 1998 with a capacity of 600 tonnes per day. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The new plant will occupy 6,500㎡ of the roughly 76,000㎡ site, next to the current incinerator. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The project is intended to respond to the capital region's ban on direct landfilling of household waste, in effect since January. [ 2 ]
- It is structured as a profit-sharing private investment project, with the operator to run the facility for 20 years after completion. [ 2 ]
- The city signed an agreement with a residents' consultative body in August last year and created a support fund for about 500 households within a 300-metre indirect impact zone. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Seongnam City is building a new waste incineration facility at Sangdaewon-dong, targeting completion in February 2028. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The new facility is designed to process 500 tonnes of waste per day. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Construction started in August 2024 and the work is 36% complete. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The new plant replaces an incinerator that has operated since 1998 at 600 tonnes per day. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The new facility will be built on 6,500㎡ within the approximately 76,000㎡ environment energy facility site, beside the existing incinerator. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- When exactly the new facility is to be completed. Seoul Economic Daily's headline says the completion is planned for next February, while its article text and the other two documents say February 2028.
- Which company will build and operate the facility, and what it will cost. Only Seoul Economic Daily describes the profit-sharing private investment structure and the 20-year operating period; no operator, contract value or construction cost is given in any document.
- Why the new facility's daily capacity of 500 tonnes is lower than the 600 tonnes of the incinerator it replaces. Asia Economy and Seoul Economic Daily give both figures but neither explains the difference.
- The full content of the Newsis report. The article text attached to the Newsis document concerns a Nuri rocket launch and not the incinerator, so only its headline was usable.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Asia Economy reports that Seongnam City will build a replacement incinerator at Sangdaewon-dong by February 2028, with construction 36% complete since starting in August 2024 and a daily capacity of 500 tonnes. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the project's profit-sharing private investment structure, the 20-year operating period, and the agreement with a residents' consultative body and the support fund for about 500 households within 300 metres. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports the 500-tonne daily capacity and the February 2028 completion target in its headline. [ 3 ]