Allowing Self-Inspection for Renewable Energy Power Plants... Equipment Under 50 Million Won Targeted

Thatched roof type solar power generation facility.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Junhyeong] It has become possible to expand small-scale renewable energy facilities through self-inspection by electrical safety managers instead of external audits.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 3rd that the amendment to the "Enforcement Decree of the Electric Power Technology Management Act" was passed at the Cabinet meeting on the 25th of last month. The main point is to allow self-inspection by electrical safety managers, not external audits, when carrying out construction to expand or modify renewable energy facilities. However, self-inspection is limited to small-scale renewable energy facilities costing less than 50 million KRW.

This amendment is a follow-up measure to the government's "Renewable Energy Facility Safety Management Improvement Plan" and the "8th New Industry Field Regulatory Innovation Plan" announced last year. The amendment will take effect from the date of promulgation.

The government’s reason for allowing self-inspection only for small-scale renewable energy facilities lies in safety. Allowing self-inspection encourages the prompt replacement of parts related to renewable energy facilities, thereby enhancing the safety of electrical equipment. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, when replacing a 25-kilowatt (kW) inverter in a solar power plant, the product price and construction cost are 3.5 million KRW and 1 million KRW respectively, but external audit costs can be up to 1 million KRW, causing delays in parts replacement. It is expected that the time and cost burden on small-scale operators due to external audit commissioning will also be reduced.

Meanwhile, to prevent misuse of the amendment, the government has stipulated that the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation must verify the scale of construction and the results of the electrical safety manager’s inspection during the pre-use inspection.

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