On the afternoon of December 9, a fire, presumed to be caused by an explosion, broke out at the coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facility inside Korea Western Power's Taean Thermal Power Plant in Wonbuk-myeon, Taean County, Chungnam, leaving two people seriously injured. The injured workers were found to be employees of an external subcontractor.
Responding to a report that "flames are shooting up with an explosion sound near the rear gate of the power plant," the fire authorities dispatched about 70 personnel and 30 pieces of equipment, bringing the main fire under control at around 3:49 p.m., approximately one hour after their arrival.
On the 9th, fire officials inspected the site after extinguishing the fire that occurred at the coal gasification combined cycle power plant (IGCC) at Taean Thermal Power Plant in Wonbuk-myeon, Taean County, Chungnam. Photo by Yonhap News
As a result of the accident, two employees of an external partner company, who were working on insulation and burner replacement for a heat exchanger at the site, suffered second-degree burns and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The accident occurred in an area where the IGCC facility's piping and heat exchangers are concentrated, converting coal into gas at high temperature and pressure for use as fuel. Korea Western Power and the fire authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the explosion and the circumstances of the fire. Assessments are ongoing to determine the extent to which the fire spread inside the facility, the scale of power generation suspension, and the amount of financial damage.
Authorities plan to clarify, through future investigations by the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, whether the workers followed proper safety protocols at the time of the accident, including the issuance of work permits, gas shut-off procedures, and gas concentration measurements, as well as whether all basic procedures for "explosion and fire risk work" were properly observed.
This is the second fire at the IGCC facility in Taean Thermal Power Plant, occurring about three years after the previous incident in January 2023. In the previous case, the fire authorities declared response level 1 and extinguished the fire, and there were no casualties.
The IGCC facility, which produces electricity using synthetic gas obtained by burning coal under high pressure, was completed in August 2016.
The company stated, "We are currently assessing the exact scale of the damage and the condition of the facility. Together with relevant authorities, we will do our utmost to identify the cause and establish measures to prevent recurrence."
The police and fire authorities plan to conduct a joint inspection with the National Forensic Service and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation as soon as the fire is completely extinguished, to investigate the explosion site and the cause of ignition. The Ministry of Employment and Labor is also reviewing whether this incident constitutes an industrial accident and is expected to launch a labor inspection if necessary.
Meanwhile, this accident occurred just before the seventh anniversary (December 10) of the death of Kim Yonggyun, a non-regular worker who died while working at the same power plant's coal facility in 2018. Labor and civic groups plan to hold a memorial service at 9 a.m. on December 10 in front of the main gate of the Taean Thermal Power Plant, raising the prospect of further controversy over the cause of the accident and the state of safety management.
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