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| KEPCO President Cho Hwan-eik gives a speech during the opening ceremony for the Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry at the International Convention Center on Jeju, Monday. / Courtesy of KEPCO |
KEPCO hosting conference of global power companies
By Park Si-soo
JEJU ISLAND — The largest event for power companies in the Asia-Pacific region kicked off here Monday for a five-day run to discuss how to transform the global energy industry into a "smart and greener" one.
KEPCO is hosting the Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry (CEPSI) at the International Convention Center Jeju.
In an opening speech, KEPCO President Cho Hwan-eik said Asia will play a leading role in the development of the global energy industry.
"The development of the power sector, including energy demand growth, will eventually be led by Asia," Cho said. "So the focal point of energy discussions will move to Asia. And so CEPSI will symbolize the trends of changes in the global energy map."
Nearly 2,200 top executives of power suppliers, bureaucrats and scholars from 35 countries gathered on the resort island.
Under the theme "smart and green society," they will share ideas about sustainable growth, climate change, smart grids and future technologies, among others.
This is the first CEPSI held on Korean soil with the biggest number of participants since the biennial event's inception in 1975.
Cho said this year's CEPSI is being held at a time when "there is much transformation in the power sector such as changes to the energy map and energy mix" following the emergence of shale gas and other uncertainties regarding the future of nuclear energy, climate change and others.
He said Korea will make a big contribution in Asia playing a leading role.
"Korea has long been investing in the development of new energy sectors," the KEPCO chief said. "We have already completed the research and development in various areas, including the smart grid and micro grid, energy storage systems, and EMS (energy management system) and IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle), and are speedily expanding their application."
He said the development of new technologies will end up "bringing down" industrial borders, adding this will open up the possibility of transmitting electricity between countries in the region.
"I believe that the future of a ‘One Asia' physically connected by electric power is nearing," Cho said. "And this will ultimately diminish the meaning of national borders in the power sector."
Won Hee-ryong, Jeju governor, described the island as an "ideal test bed" for new power generation technologies, saying he is trying to come up with policies to turn the idea into a reality.
"Jeju is trying to increase its reliance on clean energy. I've declared that I will make the utmost effort to make Jeju a carbon-free island by 2030," the governor told reporters. "In this regard, I welcome pilot tests of new technologies on this island. And I will share test results with power suppliers in Asia and around the world."
On the sideline of CEPSI, KEPCO plans to host a trade show for small and mid-sized Korean manufacturers of power generation or distribution-related equipment on Tuesday. Potential buyers include Hyundai Heavy Industries, LG Electronics, IBM, Doosan Heavy Industries and LSIS.
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