Selected for MOTIE Public Offering... Secures 52.5 Billion KRW in State Funding
AC/DC Distribution Network to Be Built at Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
Gwangju City is set to become a demonstration hub for future power grid technologies.
On May 7, the city of Gwangju announced that it has been finally selected for the "Next-Generation AC/DC Hybrid Distribution Network Testbed Construction Project," part of the "2025 1st Energy Technology Development Public Offering Project" organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
This project will establish a next-generation distribution network testbed infrastructure at the Gwangju branch of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute in Gwangju, and conduct reliability demonstration tests using the actual distribution network in the nearby Naju area. The total project cost amounts to 69 billion KRW (52.5 billion KRW in national funds, 4 billion KRW in city funds, and private investment), to be invested over four years starting this year. This is a tangible achievement in which a core task of Gwangju's energy new industry promotion policy has been selected for a national project, securing 52.5 billion KRW in state funding.
Ten institutions and universities, including the Gwangju branch of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Korea Electric Power Corporation, KEPCO KDN, and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), will participate in building the testbed. The testbed will focus on verifying the technological outcomes of ten projects?such as next-generation distribution network devices and operation technologies?developed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy since 2022, in an environment similar to an actual power grid.
Specifically, an AC/DC distribution network combining underground and overhead lines will be constructed on the grounds of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute within the Nam-gu Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex. Distribution devices, operation technologies, and an integrated control system will be installed to measure, diagnose, and evaluate new power technologies and devices.
In Naju, the existing AC distribution network will be converted to a DC distribution network, allowing for on-site operation technology and reliability verification. After the project concludes, both Gwangju and Naju will establish continuous operation systems to ensure ongoing use of the demonstration infrastructure.
The city plans to use this testbed project as a foundation to develop Gwangju into a national center for demonstration and commercialization of distribution technologies, and to expand the demonstration infrastructure into a hub that also encompasses testing and certification functions.
In particular, this project is expected to serve as a turning point for innovation in power infrastructure by verifying core technologies of the power grid and conducting reliability assessments, thereby strengthening the local power system and addressing seasonal demand imbalance issues.
Choi Taejo, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Bureau, stated, "This project will be an important milestone for Gwangju as it advances toward becoming a central city in the energy industry," and added, "We will actively support the early commercialization and industrialization of these technologies through synergy with local strategic industries."
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