President Kim Jong-kap of Korea Electric Power Corp.

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has launched charging service business for articulated electric buses in operation in the special self-governing city of Sejong. KEPCO installed four chargers in exclusive use for 200kW-class electric buses at the bus rapid transit garage in Daepyeong-dong, Sejong City, and put them in operation on Jan. 23.

One day earlier, Sejong City Transportation Corp. put into commercial operation four 84-person articulated electric bus units on the bus rapid transit route. The bus, outfitted with a 256kWh battery, is capable of running at a maximum distance of 200 km per charging, emitting no pollutants since it does not use an internal combustion engine.

The articulated electric bus has strengths such as carrying many passengers per round and pleasant transportation means.

But charging infrastructure in exclusive use of electric buses requires higher levels of repair and maintenance services than ordinary EVs.

Higher initial investment costs are burdensome to transportation businesses. KEPCO now also undertakes EV charging services in Gwangju Metropolitan City and Naju City.

KEPCO plans to create an environment of stabilizing the operation of electric buses by making the most of experiences of operating more than 8,000 EV chargers across the nation and help bus businesses reduce initial investment costs by building charging infrastructure with preferred investments, a KEPCO official said.

KEPCO reveals a plan to build EV charging infrastructure and charging service for articulated electric buses in operation in the special self-governing city of Sejong. (Photos: KEPCO)

KEPCO President Kim Stresses Introduction of Transparent, Predictable Electricity Rate Charging System that Reflects Unit Price

In his New Year’s message delivered on Jan. 2, KPECO President Kim Jong-kap said it is more important task to introduce a transparent, predictable electricity fee charging system that reflects unit price.

“It is not a matter of electricity rate raise or drop, and an electricity rate charging system that reflects unit prices timely will bring long-term benefits to all, including not only KEPCO management but also state, electricity consumers and investors,” he said.

President Kim also called for continuing to strive for financial soundness. He demanded raising efficiency through emergency management and minimizing unnecessary spending while calling for making joint efforts with group subsidiaries to make management efficient in terms of unit price in comparison with any utilities companies of countries across the globe.

He also demanded the revamping of corporate culture in cooperation of KEPCO trade union. President Kim said putting away non-essential things is not enough and ceremonies and protocols are too much emphasized.

Kim called for dramatically reducing reports and meetings and for ranking officials to spearhead efforts to uproot practices of serving their superiors.

“KEPCO should play a pivotal part of building a sustainable energy eco-system,” said President Kim, adding that public and corporate interests are not always contradictory, and to this end, KEPCO needs to proactively communicate with not only the government and small investors.

Now that the direction of KEPCO is set, he said, now is a time when KEPCO will have to accelerate the speed to put it into practice.

He called for management and labor to join forces with appreciation and a positive mindset and making the utilities company respected with trust from customers around the world and business partners.