ULSAN — Ulju County in Ulsan is deploying a dedicated task force and drones to ensure the on-time completion of S-OIL's Shaheen Project, the largest single petrochemical investment in South Korea, which enters trial operation in November.
The county said on the 16th that it has launched a joint completion inspection task force and will conduct three-dimensional precision checks using drones to finish development permit inspections inside the industrial complex by the end of this month, in line with the project's startup schedule.
The Shaheen Project, which drew total investment of 9.258 trillion won ($6.3 billion), has 1,012 structures subject to inspection, including pipe racks that support piping systems. Many are large structures or sit in elevated and hazardous areas that workers cannot easily reach, making it difficult to meet the completion deadline through conventional visual inspection, which requires excessive manpower and time.
In response, Ulju County set up a temporary task force and concentrated available staff to carry out close inspections by zone and by item. For elevated areas where the risk of falls and other accidents is high and visual checks are difficult, the county will fly drones to conduct video-based precision inspections alongside the on-site work. The county said this will improve inspection accuracy while securing safety at the site.
The county plans to systematize the field expertise gained from the inspection of this large-scale project and extend tailored administrative support to large industrial facilities and corporate investment projects that the region attracts in the future.
"We will provide administrative support suited to the characteristics of a large industrial site so that the Shaheen Project can push ahead with follow-up processes on schedule without disruption," an Ulju County official said. "We will continue field-oriented administration so that large corporate investments bear fruit on time."