The state-run Korea Power Electric Corp. said on November 8, 2017, it will push for connecting the electricity network between South Korea and Russia as part of its «Northeast Asian super grid» project involving China and Japan.
KEPCO CEO Cho Hwan-eik met with Alexander Galushka, minister for development of the Russian Far East, in Seoul to discuss ways to connect the 2 nations' electricity network via a direct current electricity cable along the seabed.
«South Korea and Russia will have to form a joint working group and road map to expand cooperation in the energy sector,» Cho said in a release.
KEPCO said the 2 sides shared the consensus that the cross-border energy project would be mutually beneficial and help ease tension in the Northeast Asian region.
The state power provider has been working on a project to link an electricity grid with China's State Grid Corporation of China, Japan's SoftBank and Mongolia's energy development company Newcom.
The scope of the project has expanded to include Russia after South Korean President Moon Jae-in suggested a «Northeast Asia super grid» to enhance regional energy cooperation during an economic forum held in Vladivostok in September.
Last week, Cho said a preliminary study on the project that included Russia showed it is «feasible economically and technically.»
He encouraged diplomatic efforts to make progress in the project, which he saw «goes beyond economics.»
