Hampyeong-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City, is pursuing the designation of the Bitgaram National Industrial Complex as the nation's first renewable energy self-sufficient city. The county plans to secure additional industrial land to attract materials, parts, and equipment (MPE) companies linked to the Honam region's semiconductor cluster.

On the 11th, Hampyeong-gun announced that it is requesting the designation of the Bitgaram Industrial Complex as a renewable energy self-reliant city and the expansion of the complex. The county aims to create an RE100 pilot industrial complex where companies cover 100% of their electricity usage with renewable energy, using this foundation to attract future mobility, artificial intelligence (AI), and semiconductor-related companies.

The Bitgaram National Industrial Complex spans Wolya-myeon in Hampyeong-gun and Gwangsan-gu in Gwangju Special City. Out of its total area of approximately 4 million square meters, the Hampyeong portion accounts for 54.7%, or about 2.2 million square meters. With Kumho Tire and other companies pushing to move in, Hampyeong-gun plans to secure additional industrial land to expand the Hampyeong side of the complex to 330 million square meters. (Note: The original text specifies expanding to 3.3 million square meters / 3,300,000 $m^2$)

The Hampyeong jurisdiction of the Bitgaram National Industrial Complex is evaluated as an optimal location possessing core prerequisites for the semiconductor industry, including electricity, industrial water, transportation, workforce, and residential conditions. It can secure electricity by utilizing abundant renewable energy resources such as solar and wind power in neighboring areas, and it is equipped with conditions to supply industrial water by linking regional water resources with wide-area water supply systems.

Transportation accessibility is also a major advantage. The complex provides access to Gwangju Songjeong Station within ten minutes, offering excellent mobility to the capital region via high-speed rail (KTX), and is connected to major wide-area transportation networks such as Muan International Airport, the Seohaean Expressway, and Mokpo New Port.

Additionally, companies can leverage Gwangju's educational, medical, cultural, and residential infrastructure, ensuring high living convenience and residential conditions for corporate executives and employees.

Hampyeong-gun envisions transforming the Bitgaram Complex into an RE100 pilot complex to attract export companies, AI data centers, and semiconductor packaging firms. A tentative "Special Act on the Creation and Support of Renewable Energy Self-Reliant Cities," which will serve as the legal basis for the designation, is currently under discussion.

Amidst these developments, Hampyeong-gun is strengthening its competitiveness by developing the Bitgaram Complex into an RE100 pilot cluster. Achieving RE100 status will enable the recruitment of export companies, AI data centers, and semiconductor packaging facilities.

At the same time, stable power supply is essential for attracting advanced industries such as AI and semiconductors. The RE100 transition of the Bitgaram Complex is becoming a core industrial strategy for corporate recruitment.

Hampyeong-gun plans to foster future regional industries centered around: △ designating and expanding the Bitgaram Complex as an RE100 industrial site, △ securing and linking renewable energy, △ building a future mobility industrial ecosystem linked to the relocation of Kumho Tire, and △ fostering backward industries such as AI and semiconductor MPEs.

Hampyeong County Mayor Lee Nam-oh proposed establishing a "local production and consumption (Jisanjiso) type RE100 industrial ecosystem" that links renewable energy production with the power demand of the industrial complex within the region. This aims to overcome the limitations of conventional power supply methods, such as cost burdens and resident conflicts arising from the construction of long-distance transmission grids.

Mayor Lee stated, "The Bitgaram Industrial Complex is a crucial growth hub that will transform Hampyeong's industrial landscape," adding, "We will preemptively respond to industrial shifts such as RE100, semiconductors, AI, and future mobility to turn these future industry trends into new growth opportunities for Hampyeong."

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