KEPCO Establishes 'Open T-Platform' for Verifying Equipment Performance

LS Electric and '170kV Eco-friendly Switchgear Demonstration Project Promotion' Business Agreement

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) announced on the 14th that it has established the 'Open T-Platform (Wanggok Demonstration Test Site)' at Wanggok Substation within the Energy Valley in Naju Innovation City, the first in Korea to demonstrate the performance of equipment in an environment identical to the actual power system.

The Open T-Platform is a demonstration test site providing a verification infrastructure (Test Bed) based on an actual system, created to activate research and development (R&D) by power equipment manufacturers and support early commercialization of new technologies.

The demonstration test site, built as a two-story indoor facility, can conduct demonstrations on 154kV power transformers and protective relays, as well as on 170kV eco-friendly switching devices aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Initially, the world's first developed 170kV eco-friendly switching device will be demonstrated as a single item until 2023, and thereafter, the application targets will be gradually expanded to include companies residing in Energy Valley and small and medium-sized enterprises to support manufacturers' technology development.

Additionally, KEPCO and LS Electric signed a business agreement to promote the '170kV Eco-Friendly Switching Device Demonstration Project.'

As the first new technology demonstration project utilizing the T-Platform, the existing switching devices used sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas as an insulating medium with a global warming potential (GWP) of 23,890 times, whereas the eco-friendly switching device uses fluorinated mixed gases, reducing greenhouse gases to below 500 times GWP, enabling approximately 98% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) compared to existing devices.

A KEPCO official stated, "KEPCO plans to continuously strengthen industry-academia-research cooperation to promote new technology development and early commercialization using the T-Platform," adding, "We will continue efforts to provide new services centered on social value and lead a technology-based power equipment ecosystem."

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