Heterogeneous public attitudes toward high-voltage power transmission lines and willingness to pay for undergrounding projects

On the path to carbon neutrality by 2050, the expansion and improvement of high-voltage power transmission lines (HV-PTL) is a critical and unavoidable energy issue that may become a potential source of public conflict. However, the discussion on this issue in South Korea has been insufficient. In this study, we analyzed public attitudes toward HV-PTLs and classified people into subgroups based on their common characteristics using latent class models. In addition, we used the contingent valuation method to estimate the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for the conversion of overhead lines to underground cables, focusing on the differences among the identified subgroups. According to the empirical analysis, people in South Korea can be divided into four classes based on their perceived need for resident participation in the decision-making process, perceived health risk, and perceived property loss risk. According to the WTP analysis using the spike model, the estimated mean and median WTP values were KRW 4184 (USD 3.8) and KRW 2632 (USD 2.4) per household per month, respectively. In addition, we found a significant difference in WTP by class. Those who perceived HV-PTL as risky were less willing to pay for undergrounding projects compared with those whose perceived risk was relatively low. This study contributes to the understanding of academics and policymakers on the relationship between public attitudes toward HV-PTL and overhead to underground conversion.