KEPCO "Electricity Bill Reduction for Residents in Special Wildfire Disaster Areas... Full Effort for Damage Recovery"

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) recently decided to provide support such as electricity bill reductions to residents of special disaster areas affected by wildfires, while deploying a total of 5,800 employees from its headquarters and partner companies to make every effort to ensure stable power supply and prevent damage to power facilities.

On the 31st, KEPCO President Kim Dong-cheol stated, "We express our deep condolences and sympathy to those who have lost precious lives and homes due to the wildfires," adding, "We will do our best to provide stable power supply and support recovery efforts day and night, including holidays, so that the public can return to their daily lives as soon as possible."

A KEPCO employee is replacing insulators on a transmission line damaged by a wildfire. (Photo by KEPCO)

Immediately after the wildfire outbreak on the 21st, KEPCO established an emergency response situation room at its headquarters and business offices to build a real-time emergency response system, concentrating company-wide capabilities to ensure stable power supply and prevent damage to power facilities. Approximately 2,700 emergency duty personnel from the headquarters and regional headquarters were deployed. Additionally, about 3,100 employees from nearby business offices and partner companies were mobilized for on-site recovery efforts to ensure stable power supply in the affected areas.

According to KEPCO, the wildfire affected power facilities including 550 transmission towers and 22 substations. The resulting damage was estimated at approximately 1.5 billion KRW, including 840 insulators (essential safety devices that prevent electric leakage and electric shock) on transmission lines and 240 utility poles. KEPCO plans to invest about 5.3 billion KRW of its own funds for restoration costs to minimize inconvenience to residents.

Temporary power is being supplied promptly to the wildfire-affected areas to support residents in returning to their daily lives quickly. A KEPCO official said, "Power facilities in severely damaged areas are also undergoing rapid restoration work with safety as the top priority," and urged, "Please do not touch downed power lines and report to KEPCO if temporary power is needed in the affected areas."

KEPCO plans to provide policy support worth approximately 7.6 billion KRW, including electricity bill reductions, to residents in eight special disaster areas declared (Sancheong, Uiseong, Ulju, Hadong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok). Specifically, support will include ▲one-month electricity bill reduction for buildings damaged by the wildfire (1.4 billion KRW) ▲up to six months of electricity bill exemption for temporary evacuation facilities in temporary buildings (5.5 billion KRW) ▲exemption from electricity supply facility charges for temporary buildings and reconstruction of destroyed or damaged buildings (700 million KRW).

In addition, KEPCO and its power group companies jointly donated a total of 900 million KRW to the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association and the Community Chest of Korea to support rapid recovery and resident assistance in wildfire-affected areas. Accordingly, KEPCO plans to provide a total of 13.8 billion KRW in support, including 5.3 billion KRW for facility restoration, 7.6 billion KRW for bill and facility charge reductions, and 900 million KRW in joint donations from power group companies.

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