A large solar power plant built by South Korea’s LS Group and state-run utility company Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) is now up and running in Hokkaido, Japan.

LS Group said a ceremony was held on Thursday in Chitose, Hokkaido to mark the commercial operation of the largest solar farm in the region and the first energy storage system (ESS)-linked solar power generation in Japan, with top managers from the companies attending.

The 20-megawatt solar power plant that can store energy in an ESS and send electricity to the grid is KEPCO’s first overseas solar energy project and LS Industrial Systems’ first participation in the construction of an ESS-linked solar power system outside Korea.

LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-yeol said the successful project will reinforce LS Group’s leadership across the spectrum of renewable energy including microgrid, undersea cable, and high voltage direct current transmission systems.

LS Industrial Systems Chairman Koo Ja-kyun said the successful completion of the project and recent winning of fresh orders demonstrate the acknowledgement of its industry-leading capabilities in the mega-solar market in Japan.

KEPCO and LS have led the Chitose project that began in April of last year.

KEPCO owns 80 percent of a special purpose company responsible for the entire project, including financing and management. LS Industrial Systems responsible for engineering, procurement and construction will operate the power plant over the next 20 years.

The solar power plant is built on land of 1.08 million square meters with about 130,000 photovoltaic modules and 13.7MWh ESS elements. The electricity generated in the system will be sold to the grid over the next 20 years at 40 yen per kWh. KEPCO expects 31.7 billion yen (317.4 billion won) in sales and about 6.4 billion yen in dividend income by producing electricity enough to power 9,000 households a year.

By Jung Wook and Minu Kim

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]