[2020 National Audit] "KEPCO Recalls 1.22 Million Smart Meters with 81.7 Billion Won Investment"

"Manufacturer with Recall Continues Supply... Actual Distribution at 43.3% of Target"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] It has been revealed that approximately 1.22 million smart meters (AMI) introduced by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) over the past decade since 2010, costing 81.7 billion KRW, have been recalled.

On the 12th, Kim Kyung-man, a member of the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, confirmed through KEPCO's data that about 1.22 million AMI meters have been recalled from the introduction of AMI in 2010 until January of this year.

AMI is a device that provides consumers with electricity usage information such as power consumption and time-of-use rate information by utilizing electricity meters, power line communication (PLC) statistics, and two-way communication networks.

KEPCO confirmed that it bore a total cost of 81.7 billion KRW related to the recalled AMI (67.9 billion KRW for purchase and 13.8 billion KRW for installation). The companies involved bore recall costs of approximately 12.7 billion KRW.

The reasons for the recall included firmware defects such as ▲ voltage and current data transmission errors ▲ meter reading time transmission errors ▲ abnormal metering ▲ incorrect metering of power consumption and maximum demand power during seasonal changes.

Company A participated in deliveries in 2014 and received the first recall due to firmware defects in 2016, yet continued to supply. Subsequently, it received two more recall actions due to firmware defects in 2017 and last year.

Company B also participated in deliveries in 2014 and was recalled in 2016. It resumed deliveries last year, and another recall occurred this year.

As of this year, the target distribution volume of AMI is a total of 22.5 million households, but currently stands at 9.75 million households, reaching only 43.3% of the target.

Assemblyman Kim emphasized, "AMI is the core of smart grid construction and an essential element of the Green New Deal policy, including cost reduction through energy efficiency. The fundamental cause of AMI firmware errors must be urgently identified to reduce defects and accelerate the expansion of distribution."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.