South Korea’s state-run utility company Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) will kick off commercial production of electricity from its first offshore energy storage system (ESS)-linked solar power plant in Japan next month that is expected to generate nearly 320 billion won ($283.9 million) in sales for KEPCO over the next 25 years of its operation.

KEPCO said on Thursday that it has started test operation of its 28-megawatt solar power plant that can store energy in an ESS and produce electricity enough to supply power to 9,000 households for a whole year in Chitose in Hokkaido, Japan. It is the first time for the Korean utility giant to run such a hybrid ESS-integrated solar plant abroad and aims to start supplying electricity to residents in the area on July 2.

KEPCO will operate the plant for the next 25 years and expects the plant would help it rake in 317.4 billion won in sales in total.

The hybrid ESS-solar power plant is different from a conventional solar farm whose electricity production and supply depends a lot on weather conditions. The new power plant stores solar energy in a linked ESS system and uses the stored energy to supply when it encounters a power shortage, guaranteeing stable power supply even on a cloudy day or during night times.

In April last year, KEPCO broke ground to build the hybrid ESS-linked solar power plant in Chitose and recently completed the construction at a cost of 113 billion won. KEPCO said 13 Korean companies including LS Industrial System Co. took part in building the plant.

By Kim Jung-hwan

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