[2020 National Audit] KEPCO Criticized by Board of Audit for Turning on 'Jaepae-ro' During Wildfire Risk, "Only 37% Safety Shutdown"

Board of Audit and Inspection's 'Caution' Measures Ignored, Reclosure Operations Mainly for 'Distribution Construction' Continue
Kang Hoon-sik: "Fire Risk Due to Safety-Neglected Reclosure Operations... Needs Improvement"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] It has been revealed that Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) is not properly using the 'reclosing' device shutdown for safety purposes despite the Board of Audit and Inspection's warnings. The reclosing device was the cause of the wildfires in Sokcho and Goseong, Gangwon Province, last April.

According to the 'Reclosing Suspension Performance' data submitted by KEPCO to Kang Hoon-sik, a member of the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 15th, the rate of reclosing suspension for safety measures was only 37% from last year until August this year.

The reclosing device automatically retransmits power to prevent momentary faults in distribution lines from leading to unnecessary power outages.

When a distribution line fails and power is cut off by a circuit breaker, electricity is automatically sent up to three times at set intervals.

However, if the reclosing device operates when a high-voltage wire is broken or wires come into contact, it can generate an 'electric arc' that may cause fires or electric shock accidents.

KEPCO established guidelines in March 2004, following the Gangwon Province wildfires, to suspend the reclosing device when the wildfire risk index is 81 or higher.

However, in early 2018, KEPCO arbitrarily discarded the reclosing suspension guidelines based on the wildfire risk index while preparing the 'Spring Stable Power Supply Measures.'

Last year, without any reclosing suspension standards, the Goseong wildfire occurred, causing damage worth 400 billion KRW in the Goseong and Sokcho areas.

The Board of Audit and Inspection audited KEPCO after the Goseong wildfire and pointed out that those responsible for discarding the guidelines should be given a 'warning' but KEPCO mainly suspended reclosing for distribution construction purposes even after the audit.

According to Assemblyman Kang, last year KEPCO carried out 6,285 reclosing shutdowns in Seoul for distribution construction purposes, but did not perform any shutdowns for safety measures.

Nationwide, from January last year to August this year, out of 261,528 reclosing shutdowns, only 96,483 cases (36.89%) were for safety purposes. Suspension for distribution construction purposes accounted for 165,045 cases (63.1%).

According to Assemblyman Kang, KEPCO established a new reclosing operation plan after the Goseong wildfire, but it mainly focuses on distribution construction without including safety measures.

Assemblyman Kang criticized, "KEPCO is operating the reclosing device for construction convenience rather than fire prevention," and added, "They leave the reclosing operation details to each regional headquarters and do not verify whether it is properly implemented on the front lines."

He continued, "If reclosing shutdowns are not properly implemented, a second Goseong wildfire incident could occur," and said, "An effective reclosing suspension plan must be prepared and operated to prevent large-scale fires in advance."

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