KEPCO "Three out of Four Renewable Energy Facilities Awaiting Connection Will Be Resolved Next Year"

Surge in New and Renewable Energy Demand Increases 'Idle Operations'
KEPCO to Resolve 3.2GW of 4.2GW Awaiting Connection by Next Year
Establishment of Dedicated Grid Team... Network Information Disclosure as Requested by Developers

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chae-seok] As private solar power generation facilities rapidly increase, causing a rise in renewable energy connection waiting times, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has established a special task force to resolve 3.2GW out of the 4.2GW currently waiting for connection by next year.

KEPCO announced on the 2nd that it has created a "Renewable Energy Special Task Force" led by Kim Seong-am, Vice President of the Power Grid division.

Due to the surge in renewable energy facilities, problems have arisen in the power system (a system that generates electricity through power plants, substations, transmission and distribution lines, and loads), causing connection failures. KEPCO plans to establish a system reinforcement framework to prevent such issues.

They will strengthen communication with related organizations to actively identify and promptly resolve on-site difficulties.

One-third of Small-scale Solar Power Idle... KEPCO to Resolve 75% of Connection Suspension Volume by Next Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

KEPCO plans to build transmission networks in advance in areas expected to have renewable energy connection applications, expand disclosure of network information, and improve systems to increase connection capacity. President Kim Jong-gap will personally monitor progress monthly.

First, the special task force led by Vice President Kim will improve grid connection methods, shorten construction periods for transmission and distribution facilities, and reorganize related systems and organizations.

Vice President Kim will meet at least once a month with renewable energy-related organizations such as the Solar and Wind Power Associations to listen to on-site difficulties and work on resolving them.

According to KEPCO, currently, out of 14.4GW of small-scale renewable energy facilities under 1MW (mainly private solar power generation facilities), 4.2GW are waiting for connection. Since the implementation of the policy guaranteeing connection for renewable energy under 1MW on October 1, 2016, 14.4GW has rapidly concentrated in specific areas.

KEPCO plans to resolve connection suspensions for 3.2GW out of the 4.2GW by next year, and address the remaining 1GW by shortening substation construction periods (from 6 years to 3 years) and increasing allowable connection capacity for distribution lines (from 10MW to 12MW).

Pre-construction of Transmission and Distribution Facilities in Areas Expected to Apply for Connection... Proactive Response to Grid Issues

KEPCO will pre-construct transmission and distribution facilities in areas expected to apply for connection. They plan to realize timely connections by building distributed power facilities (small-scale and low-capacity) near new and renewable energy power plants, which can shorten construction periods.

To increase the renewable energy acceptance rate of already installed facilities, KEPCO will improve systems such as pre-connection with post-control and application of planned standard capacity.

The planned standard capacity is a measure considering the characteristics of renewable energy, which rarely achieves 100% output. For example, if 1MW is applied for, previously the entire 1MW capacity was considered when reviewing transmission network capacity, but going forward, only 0.7MW, which is 70% of the facility capacity, will be reviewed.

Additionally, KEPCO will expand disclosure of network information to the level desired by power producers.

KEPCO has established a "Capacity Information Disclosure System" on its website so that power producers can easily check regional facility margin information.

From July next year, KEPCO plans to additionally disclose all possible information, including margin information reflecting future power grid investment plans and possible connection timings.

A KEPCO official stated, "KEPCO will continue to prepare various measures centered on the special task force to proactively respond to the increasing trend of renewable energy and support the expansion of new and renewable energy power generation."

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