Seoul Archdiocese's Pastoral Committee for the Environment is proposing to build a solar power generation plant in all its parishes, to use and produce eco-friendly energy.
Once approved by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul, the initiative will equip all parishes with solar-power generation facilities by as early as the end of 2017.
The project is based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the archdiocese and the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2013.
In the agreement, the archdiocese pledged to cooperate with the city government to reduce its energy consumption by 5-10 percent, and to generate and use eco-friendly energy.
The Pastoral Committee for the Environment will support the installation of solar generation facilities in parishes, while the city will construct and manage the facilities.
Father John Lee Jai-don, Committee President, said, "With the MoU, conditions for the construction of the facilities in our parishes are already prepared."
The committee will build facilities with the capacity to generate 10kW of power per hour in each, costing some 16 million won (US $14,600). These facilities will be able to generate 12,045kW of electricity annually. By selling the electricity, parishes can make 2 million won. In addition, the committee will set up small-sized photovoltaic panels in annexed buildings, including rectories.