‘Distribution network instead of transmission network’ changes the power infrastructure… Preparing a long-term distribution network plan :: Empathy Media Newsis ::

Distributed Energy Act, unification of energy production and consumption areas

Transmission network with low acceptance → distribution network… Importance of power distribution↑

There is no long-term plan for power distribution… Short-term plan within 3 years only

KEPCO to report its first long-term distribution plan to the government in May next year

“Insufficient distribution network operation regulations for enforcement of the Dispersion Act… urgent need to prepare”

(Sejong = Newsis) Reporter Yeo Dong-jun = A special law to revitalize distributed energy, where production and consumption take place near energy-using areas, has been in effect since last June.

Distributed energy does not need to draw electricity produced from far away, so it uses a distribution network that supplies electricity to end consumers instead of a transmission network connecting power plants and substations.

As the importance of the distribution network has increased, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has decided to establish a long-term distribution plan of more than 5 years for the first time and is currently working on the related work.

According to the industry on the 23rd, KEPCO is working on establishing a long-term distribution plan with the goal of reporting the first long-term distribution plan to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy around May next year.

Korea’s power generation facilities are mainly located in coastal areas, but electricity demand is concentrated in the metropolitan area. In particular, Seoul’s electricity self-sufficiency rate, which refers to the amount of electricity consumed compared to electricity production, is below 10%.

Under the current system, it is essential to expand transmission lines that send electricity from power production areas to consumption areas. However, not only is a huge cost invested in constructing transmission lines, but it is also difficult to obtain consent from residents passing through the transmission lines, leading to delays in the transmission line construction project. Frequent.

Unlike distributed energy, power generation sources are installed near the use area, reducing the demand for transmission network construction.

However, as distributed energy increases, more electricity than before is supplied through the distribution network that supplies power to end consumers, increasing the burden. The importance of the distribution network is increasing compared to before.

(Naju = Newsis) Reporter Lee Young-joo = Kim Dong-cheol, president of Korea Electric Power Corporation, is reporting on work by participating in the government audit of the Korea Electric Power Corporation’s Small and Medium Venture Business Committee held at the Korea Electric Power Corporation’s headquarters on the morning of the 14th. (email protected)

Accordingly, KEPCO began work to establish a long-term distribution plan of more than 5 years for the first time, reflecting the increasing importance of the distribution network.

The current distribution plan is limited to short-term demand and distributed energy forecasts of less than 3 years, but the plan is to analyze regional characteristics and establish a long-term plan of 5 years or more for efficient facility planning.

The Distributed Energy Act also requires KEPCO, a distribution operator, to submit a distribution network expansion and operation plan for at least five years to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Considering that the higher-level plan, the Basic Electricity Supply and Demand Plan (Electricity Basic Plan), is a 15-year plan with a 2-year cycle, the distribution plan is also expected to be converted to a 2-year cycle and 15-year plan.

KEPCO has been conducting a nationwide survey of distributed energy since last October to establish a long-term distribution plan.

Afterwards, once the 11th electricity plan is finalized through a report to the National Assembly, a distribution network expansion plan will be prepared by reflecting the transmission and distribution target values ​​in the electricity plan.

In addition, the plan is to establish an operation plan, such as establishing a monitoring and control infrastructure and output control procedures, in relation to the stable operation of distributed energy.

Once a long-term distribution plan is established, the plan is to finalize and submit the long-term distribution plan to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in May next year after internal review and consultation with related ministries.

KEPCO said, “In a situation where new standards and procedures are needed to fulfill legal obligations, we plan to establish a regional plan establishment system taking into account consistency with the higher-level plan.”

(Hwaseong = Newsis) Solar panel installed as a new and renewable energy convergence support project (Photo = Provided by Hwaseong City (email protected)

Academic circles predict that once a long-term distribution plan is established, it will play an important role in developing distributed energy investment technology and inducing regional distribution for the electric power industry and stakeholders.

In particular, it is evaluated that once the distribution network operation plan, which was insufficient even after the enforcement of the Decentralization Act, is established, regulations will be established for related businesses to follow.

Yoo Seung-hoon, a professor in the Department of Energy Policy at the University of Science and Technology, said, “The distributed law was implemented last June, but the problem is that regulations related to distribution network operation have not yet been established. The market situation is such that it is urgent to prepare an operation plan.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Electricity Committee reportedly passed the distribution network operation plan the previous day (22nd).

An industry official said, “There were some shortcomings, but I understand that the Electricity Commission judged that even if some of the operation plan contents were insufficient, considering the urgency, it was necessary to operate it first and continue to supplement it.”

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