MKE Holds KEPIC Week

Leads to costs savings on purchases of electricity equipment by 20 percent

About 800 people from 250 organizations from Korea and four other countries participated in the 2009 Korea Electric Power Industry Code (KEPIC) Week held in Gyeongju from Aug. 25-28. The participants shared trends on international standards in the electricity field and information on priority development tasks.
Among those present at the gathering were Kim Jung-kwan, deputy minister for energy resources and development at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), standards experts from such international organizations as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and representatives of 250 other organizations from the five participating countries.
KEPIC consists of 373 Korean standards in six fields including nuclear power, machinery, electricity and quality guarantee. KEPIC is the Korean private sector’s sets of codes and standards designed to enhance international competitiveness through technological self-sufficiency and improved design and manufacturing capability, said Na Ki-yong, director of nuclear industry at the MKE.
Since KEPIC was introduced in 1987, the Korean electricity industry has seen costs for purchasing equipment and components fall some 20 percent and the quality of Korean-produced equipment and components improve.
In particular, Korea has become a nation that develops and secures standards in the nuclear power sector following the United States, France, Japan and Canada. This is expected to contribute to enhancing the competiveness of Korean companies exporting their nuclear equipment and components abroad.
Deputy Minister Kim stressed the significance of the electricity industry’s roles in realizing the low-carbon, green-growth paradigm. He urged the Korean electricity industry to seek feedback on international trends and to gain on-site experience so that KEPIC can keep abreast of international standards in the foreign electricity market.
The KEPIC Program Phase I was launched in 1987 and Phase V, which began in 2006, will continue until 2010. KEPIC was developed by about 300 experts from the industrial, academic and research circles who have participated in seven specialization committees and 28 subcommittees.
As of August, there are 373 KEPIC standards ― 21 in the nuclear power field, three in quality guarantee, 60 in machinery, 262 in electric/measurement, 16 in structure and 11 in firefighting/environment. nw

Deputy Minister for Energy Resources and Development Kim Jung-kwan gives a speech at the 2009 KEPIC Week held in Gyeongju from Aug. 25-28.

A scene at the 2009 Korea Electric Power Industry Code (KEPIC) Week.