Community Consultation and Coal Plant Construction

Written by Abraham Sumalinog

Blue Power Coal Plant under construction, Samcheok City

South Korean civil society organizations and active citizens, young and adults, are fighting for the nation's future and the whole world through environmental and climate change actions in various forms--public awareness campaigns, public picketing, protest actions, press conference, consultation, among many. 

Having experienced the brunt of three typhoons that ravaged the country within a week in September this year seemed to have pushed more climate actions and awakened some citizens to the truth of the impacts of climate change. 

One of such collaborative climate actions among citizens happened on the 18th of November 2020. The organizers invited climate action supporters to gather in Samcheok City to protest against a new coal plant's construction along the beautiful beach area located just five kilometers away from the City. I was one of those who participated in the four consolidated actions for the day, including an hour street picket (carrying a placard), press conference in front of Samcheok City Hall, on-site visitation of Samcheok Blue Power (coal plant), and protest performances (Crane Dance - a traditional dance; playing dead, etc.). 

Undergoing construction of Blue Power coal plant in Samcheok City

Status of South Korea's Nuclear & Coal Plants

South Korea is the world's fifth-largest nuclear power producer. Its total electricity generation accounts for 26% of its energy mix.

• 24 operating nuclear reactor units
• 4 nuclear reactors under construction

        Source: www.eia.gov (US Energy Information Administration)

In coal consumption, in 2019 South Korea was the fourth-largest global coal importer (following India, China, and Japan). 64% of the country's coal consumption comes from electric power and the industrial sectors. 

• 60 operating coal plants (40% of the country's electricity) (powermag.com)
• over 80 coal plants including completed and under construction (Wikipedia)

Talking with a couple of local residents, I have learned that they have been working against nuclear and coal plant construction since 1982. They have successfully stopped three nuclear plants' construction but not confident if they can do it this time. Listening to their stories, I noticed that what is lacking in such project implementation is public consultation. The implementors may claim that they did consult the locals, but the question is 'how' did they consult, and was it done transparently. 

If I say that such an intractable problem and losses of resources wouldn't have happened should the consultation was applied before the implementation, you would agree with me. 

Any human society's sustainability requires basic forms of democratic consultation and transparency among all stakeholders and any community member. This is true for governments and their citizens. 

The OECD's Public Consultation Document

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) mentions that public consultation "is one of the key regulatory tools... to improve transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of regulation..." 

In particular, the OECD's idea of public implementation includes three core elements that can sustain a society. The elements are related forms of interaction that often mingle with public consultation programs and complement each other: notification, consultation, and participation. 

Public consultation is crucial as it can improve the quality of policies and programs, enhance compliance, and improve implementation costs for both the implementors or government and citizens. 

Public consultation helps governments gain more local data and relevant information, which are critical to policy decisions. Making aware the local residents about a project plan and collecting their views could help the future project be implemented without any disruptions, or worst, waste of resources.

Above all, a more systematic project implementation process includes a recently becoming-popular grievance redress mechanism (GRM). With some aspects similar to the consultations mentioned, the GRM is an instrument that outlines various tools and processes before a planned project or program is implemented. 

Ideally, a GRM of a project requires that locals or residents be made aware of the project, which will involve consultation. If the planned project passes the consultation stage, citizens can continue monitoring and airing their grievances or complaints when something wrong occurs before it becomes unmanageable.

Civil society organization representatives performing 'death' action in front of the construction site

Press Conference and protest action in front of Samcheok City Hall. "Let's Save Maengbang Beach" (upper campaign placards)

Benefits of GRM

Attaching a grievance and complaints service to a project is more beneficial to the project itself than to a community where it is implemented. 

Basically, it gives people information about project implementation and provides space to comply with policies. Second, it provides a venue for resolving grievances at the ground level, thus quickly solving disputes before they become difficult to manage.

Third, GRM facilitates effective communication between the project management and the affected community related to the second point. Open communication will provide trust from community members and create productive relationships.

Fourth, a GRM service can ensure equitable distribution of benefits, costs, and risks. It can mitigate and prevent undue harm to the community.

Last, a GRM of the project can positively boost project implementation, thus preventing delays and cost increases.

To the affected person (AP) or community, a GRM service provides a cost-effective method to report a grievance and complaints. It creates a forum to report grievances easily with dignity and a space to be heard justly.

For the affected person(s) or community, it provides an entry point, hence access to negotiate and influence policies and decisions that can affect the community's health and well-being.

Last, a GRM service can provide resources and information on the project, a fundamental human right when a project is being implemented.

In addition, since non-renewable and fossil energy plants can affect and harm the immediate community and a whole nation (and the Earth, which is suffering due to climate change), a grievance and complaints service and relevant related mechanism must come with any big projects. 

Recommendations

For a democratic and civilized society, consultation with citizens on everything that affects their lives is not only ideal but crucial. In this article, we recommend to the implementors and government that every project that includes a considerable amount of resources must come with a consultation system and a venue of the forum between project implementors and concerned citizens (such as local residents). Such an approach is commonly called a grievance and redress mechanism (GRM), as briefly described above.

A GRM does not mean agreeing to a project before implementation and then complain later when issues surface due to its impacts. Fundamentally, a GRM requires that a project will be announced widely before it is implemented so that residents will know about it--its benefits for the project itself and for the people who might be partly beneficiaries. 

It implies that attaching such a system to the program will benefit both parties, in the end, thus sustaining and promoting society's authentic needs based on both party's consultations results. A compromise on both parties might be sought. Still, at least there is transparency that clarifies doubts and future issues that can be prevented from occurring through proactive mitigation actions and programs. 

A traditional Crane Dance performer during the event