President Kim Byung-sook of Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and President Kim Bum-nyun of KEPCO KPS hold a copy of an agreement to cooperate in thelocalization of the latest high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technology after they signed it at the Seoincheon Power Complex on Feb. 7. (Photo: KOWEPO)

Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) plans to localize high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technology for gas turbines, which Korea currently imports.

KOWEPO and KEPCO KPS have joined forces in the localization project.

With executives and experts from KOWEPO and KEPCO KPS in attendance, the two companies agreed to cooperate in the localization of the latest high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technology at the Seoincheon Power Complex on Feb. 7.

Currently, all gas turbines for power generation, introduced from abroad, are in operation in Korea. In particular, Korea depends on foreign countries for the whole of high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technologies, which are core components.

Due to Korea’s dependence on foreign technology imports, gas turbine producers earn revenues worth an annual combined 100 billion won from the procurement of high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technology aftermarket.

Since he took office in March 2018, KOWEPO President Kim Byung-sook has been devoting himself to realizing technology self-reliance through the localization of power generation facilities.

To this end, KOWEPO introduced an exclusive body responsible for the creation of an environment of technology self-reliance through the localization of power generation facilities, easing SMEs’ market entry barriers and procuring reliable Korean-made core parts.

President Kim said at the event, “Massive technology cooperation among power plant, maintenance and research institution circles that has never been attempted so far is expected to mark a watersheds of transforming the ecosystem of the Korean gas turbine repair engineering technology industry, which lags far behind advanced countries.”

KOWEPO will make strenuous efforts to secure value-added technologies and create growth models through localization by accelerating efforts to localize core equipment in a high degree of technology development difficulty and importance, he added.

KOWEPO has been collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute of the United States and KEPCO Research Institute since two years to localize the market of latest high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technology whose value is estimated at about 35 billion won annually, a KOWEPO official said.

The collaboration project is in a final stage said the official, adding that a test-bed project related to high-temperature parts production and repair engineering technologies will be implemented in the second half of this year.

KOWEPO Becomes 1st Korean Public Entity to Have Been Designated as Technology Assistance Body by CTCN

KOWEPO became the first Korean public entity to have been designated as a technology assistance agency by the Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN), the implementation arm of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Feb. 2.

The CTCN promotes the accelerated transfer of environmentally sound technologies for low carbon and climate resilient development at the request of developing countries. It provides technology solutions, capacity building and advice on policy, legal and regulatory frameworks tailored to the needs of individual countries.

The CTCN has designed member agencies from a combined 90 countries, most of which are research institutes.

KOWEPO has been designed as the CTCN’s member agency of technology assistance in recognition of a greenhouse gas emission reduction performance capabilities and a track record of implementing greenhouse gas emission reduction projects.