1. Reason for proposal
The aim is to lay a safe foundation for distributing renewable energy by improving the Enforcement Rules of the Electrical Safety Management Act in relation to the “Plan to improve the safety management of renewable energy equipment (June 2021).”
2. Main content
A. The burden on businessmen is reduced, and the standard on the appointment of electrical safety managers is adjusted to secure safety.
1) If remote monitoring & control devices are equipped, the range of agencies for renewable energy equipment is expanded (Subparagraph 1 (b) and Subparagraph 2 (b) of Article 26 of the draft).
* (Currently) Less than 300kW of fuel cells → (Amendment) Renewable energy equipment other than solar light (<300kW)
2) In case of renewable energy equipment, self-supervision by electrical safety managers is allowed for small-scale electrical work (less than KRW 50 million (Establishment of Article 30(2)6(d) of the draft).
* Concurrent amendment of Article 20 (Construction supervision, etc.) of the Enforcement Decree of the Electric Power Technology Management Act
3) The standard on the appointment of engineering safety managers is eased in the condition to install remote monitoring devices in case of overflow barrages only (1㎿→3㎿) (Attached Table 8 of the draft)
* Dams and channel type are excluded, however.
B. Reorganization of inspection system to secure safety of renewable energy equipment
1) When solar light structures are installed or substituted, or not less than 1/2 of solar light modules (including the case wherein 1/2 is exceeded in accumulation) are replaced, pre-use inspection is required (Attached Table 1 of the draft).
* (Currently) Pre-use inspection in case of full replacement → (Amendment) Pre-use inspection when replacing not less than 1/2 of modules
* (Establishment) Pre-use inspection installing structures or replacing not less than 1/2 of structures
2) Regular inspections are conducted for solar light equipment lots and structures to secure their safety (Attached Table 4 of the draft).
* (Currently) Solar light and electrical equipment systems (4 years) → (Amendment) Solar light and electrical equipment systems (4 years) + Lot and structures (2 years)
3) Pre-use inspection when replacing blades, towers, or nacelles as the main equipment of wind power generation (Attached Table 1 of the draft)
* (Currently) When replacing windmills → (Amendment) When replacing blades, nacelles, or towers
4) Adoption of product inspection system in the step of manufacturing process to secure the safety of main equipment such as blades, nacelles, towers, etc. (Attached Table 3 of the draft)
* (Establishment) Adoption of pre-shipment product inspection system to secure the safety of wind power equipment
5) Establishment of pre-use inspection of weld parts when manufacturing wind power generation equipment tower (strength of materials, welding work, visual inspection, non-destructive examination, etc.) (Subparagraph 7 of Attached Table 3 of the draft)
* (Currently) Welding inspection time (boiler, turbine, pressure vessel, pipeline, fuel combustion equipment, etc.) → (Amendment) Welding inspection time (Current + Wind power tower)
6) Sustainable stability is secured by shortening the regular inspection cycle of wind power generation equipment and adopting regular inspection for foundation lots (Attached Table 4 of the draft).
* Regular inspection cycle: (Currently) 4 years → (Amendment) 2 years (* Jeju has been applying a one-year self-inspection cycle since 2017 as a bylaw.)
** Foundation lot: (Currently) Pre-use inspection → (Amendment) Pre-use inspection + Regular inspection
7) Substitution of fuel cell stack is added to the subjects for construction plan acceptance (report) and is included in the subjects of pre-use inspection (Attached Table 1 of the draft).
* (Currently) Installation or total substitution of fuel cells → (Amendment) Current + Stack substitution
8) Pre-use inspection when replacing not less than 1/2 of cells (including the case wherein 1/2 is exceeded in accumulation) to prevent possible fire in electric storage devices (Attached Table 1 of the draft)
* (Currently) Pre-use inspection in case of full replacement of electric storage device modules → (Amendment) Pre-use inspection when replacing not less than 1/2 of secondary cell modules of electric storage devices
9) It is clearly prescribed that Mobile ESS is also included in the subjects of pre-use inspection (Attached Table 1 of the draft).
* (Establishment) Pre-use inspection for mobile ESS equipment that may be moved by methods such as mounting on vehicles
10) When calculating the weight of safety management agency, if ESS connected with renewable energy is included, 0.2 times are added to the existing weight of power generation equipment agency (Attached Table 9 of the draft).
* (Currently) No inclusion of weight of ESS connected with renewable energy → (Amendment) Inclusion of ESS weight of agency
11) Transmission lines and substations to be installed and operated by renewable power plants are added to the subjects of regular inspection (Attached Table 4 of the draft).
* (Establishment) Subjects for regular inspection (within 4 years) of transmission lines and substations of renewable power generation businessmen are prescribed.
C. Others such as renewable energy equipment education and expanded subjects to be reported as severe accidents
1) The basis of documents to be prepared by the person undergoing pre-use inspection and regular inspection in accordance with the notification under Article 18 of the Act is prescribed in the Enforcement Rules.
(Article 6(5)5, Article 8(5), Form 4, and Form 6 of the draft)
* (Establishment) The basis of data to be prepared by the inspected person under the notification on the method and procedure, etc. of inspection and check is provided.
2) The basis of the standard on remote monitoring and control is prescribed in the Enforcement Rules (Article 26-2 of the draft).
* Standard on remote monitoring and control: (Currently) Execution of official documents → (Amendment) Preparation of basis of Enforcement Rules
3) The liability to report the occurrence of severe accidents is added to the job of electrical safety managers, and the severe accident standard is adjusted considering the renewable energy equipment accidents (Article 30(2)9 and Attached Table 16 of the draft).
* (Currently) Electric shock accidents (two cases of death and three cases of injury) → (Amendment) Electric shock accidents (one case of death and one case of injury), etc.
4) Tailored education is provided considering the properties of each renewable energy equipment*, and all or part of the education is waived if internationally accepted professional education** is completed (Attached Table 11 of the draft).
* Solar light, fuel cell, wind power, marine energy, geothermal energy, bioenergy, etc.
** Internationally certified education: Education, etc. of Global Wind Organization (GWO)
D. Follow-up management of regular inspection and strengthened safety management for emergency generators, etc.
1) If owners, etc. of the equipment that did not pass the regular inspection do not request re-inspection, the fact shall be reported to the si/do having jurisdiction (Article 9(2) of the draft).
* (Currently) In case of no request for the first regular inspection, report to si/do → (Amendment) In case of no request for First regular inspection + Re-inspection, report to si/do
2) Observance of safety standard and adequacy of emergency load capacity, etc. are confirmed with the inclusion of private emergency generators less than 75kW in the subjects of inspection (pre-use + regular) (Attached Table 1 and Attached Table 4 of the draft).
* (Currently) Subjects of inspection: emergency generators not less than 75kW → (Amendment) All private emergency generators + Emergency load
** (Currently) Confirmation of adequacy of capacity: Pre-use inspection only → (Amendment) Confirmation during Pre-use inspection + Regular inspection
3) Reflection of other provisions of acts and supplementation of insufficiency in system operation (Form 4, Form 6, Forms 15 through 16, and Forms 18 through 20 of the draft)
