Korea Southern Power Co. is honored with the grand prize in the public entity in the Korean National Awards ceremony and three other awards.

Korea Southern Power Co. (KOSPO) clinched the grand prize in the public entity category in the Korean National Quality Awards ceremony.

KOSPO is one of the five power companies that were spun off in accordance with the government’s step to restructure the power industry in April 2001. Its major functions include the development of power resources and stable supply of power. The power company operates seven power complexes, including the Hadong Power Complex and Shin Incheon Power Complex, across the nation. The successful operation of the world’s frost circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) power plant at the Samcheok Power Complex is contributing to reduced unit prices and a stabile electricity supply during the high-demand summer season.

Furthermore, KOSPO operates such new and renewable energy plants as the Hankyung Wind Power Plant and Seongsan Wind Power Plant on Jeju Island. The company is also engaged in overseas power generation projects, including the construction of the Kelar gas-fired combined cycle power facility in Chile with the goal of rising to a global power company. “KOSPO is Korea’s representative power company with a combined capacity of 11,262MW, which accounts for about 10 percent of the nation’s total power generation,” a KOSPO official said. With management’s strong determination for innovation, about 2,000 staff members are joining forces in carrying out active quality innovation activities, he added.

KOSPO has declared the 2030 New Vision, calling for an improvement in the quality of people’s lives by leading the future energy industry based on an eco-friendly power supply. 

The power company is devoting itself to complying with companywide quality innovation initiatives to rise to a public entity trusted by the people. KOSPO is conducting long-term tasks for future growth with the management goal of raising sales and operating profit to 9 trillion won and 1 trillion won by 2030, respectively, as well as increasing the portion of new and renew energies out of power generation to 30 percent by the time.

KOSPO has made innovative efforts in not only quality, but also the environment, safety, information security, and integrity. These efforts have paid off. KOSPO made remarkable achievements as the power company won the 2016 national productivity grand prize; made it onto the list of “excellent innovation public entities” and the list of excellent national disaster management public organizations; and placed 2nd in an integrity evaluation of public entities by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission. 

KOSPO recorded a world-class rate of facility reliability at 99.97 percent, the industry’s highest-ever, as well as the power company’s trouble stoppage rate stood at 0.028 percent, the nation’s lowest ever. 

In accordance with the Korea Quality Index, the power industry’s first quality management diagnosis model developed by KOSPO, the power company has been conducting its quality management diagnosis and improvement activities to level up quality standards. Members of KOSPO’s quality management circles have found woes and explored solutions to reduce costs and improve productivity. Thanks to these efforts, KOSPO has won a top award in an international quality management circle competition for the sixth year in a row. Twenty-seven KOSPO quality management teams won a presidential prize in the Korean competition, registering a record high for multiple prize winners.