In its drive to further improve consumer services, officials of Primelectric recently traveled to Seoul, South Korea. They went to study the country’s advanced power distribution system. This mission aligns with the company’s ongoing Primelectric power distribution upgrade initiatives across the Philippines.
The delegation was led by Primelectric President and CEO Roel Castro. They visited the Transmission and Distribution Headquarters of the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). KEPCO is recognized globally as the World’s Best in Transmission and Distribution Efficiency.
Read: South Korea Trip Bolsters Philippines’ Primelectric Expansion Plans
How South Korea Benchmarking Supports a Primelectric Power Distribution Upgrade
At KEPCO, officials observed how the utility maintains a remarkably low system loss of 3.53%. Its system average incident frequency index is only 0.6% per year. These metrics indicate nearly zero unscheduled power interruptions across its network.
A major contributor to this performance is KEPCO’s investment in modern equipment and high-tech facilities. These upgrades significantly boost efficiency and reliability. Currently, 12.3% of distribution lines are underground, especially in commercial districts. All lines are fully insulated. Thousands of automatic circuit reclosers (ACRs) reconnect power within one second.
Primelectric Power Distribution Upgrade Lessons from KEPCO
The visit also highlighted unmanned substations, digital control panels, switches, ACRs, and other remotely operated equipment. This setup allows faster response times and reduces outage impact.
KEPCO demonstrated its ability to conduct live line maintenance. These repairs no longer require power shutdowns. This approach reduces service disruptions for consumers and businesses.
Safety standards were another key takeaway. Primelectric officials praised KEPCO’s strict implementation of safety protocols. Specialized gear protects linemen and technical personnel at every stage.
Impact on Primelectric and Philippine Utilities
According to Castro, the benchmarking mission will significantly influence Primelectric and its operating units—MORE Power, Negros Power, and Bohol Light—as well as future expansion areas.
“What we saw in KEPCO is not just technology, but a mindset—a culture of efficiency, reliability, and safety. This is the level of service we want to bring to our consumers,” Castro said.
“We plan to send our engineers to the KEPCO Academy to speed up the adoption of modernized systems and familiarize them with world-class equipment.”
With the delegation’s return, Primelectric aims to implement the modern practices learned, phase by phase. The goal is to steadily move toward world-class power distribution standards in the Philippines.
Which KEPCO practice do you think could make the biggest difference in local power reliability?
