KEPCO hosts int'l electric power technology exposition

SEJONG (Yonhap) – South Korea's state electric utility company said Saturday that it will host an international exposition highlighting the advances made in the power industry and promoting the exchange of know-how.

The Bitgaram International Exposition of Electric Technology (BIXPO) that will run from Monday through Wednesday in the city of Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, is to be attended by 2,000 engineers, inventors, scholars and power company representatives from 35 countries, state-controlled Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said.

"The expo will be comprised of an exhibition on power-related technologies, an event showcasing the latest breakthroughs and inventions, and international conferences in 10 separate fields such as smart power grids," KEPCO said.

There will be some 200 booths set up at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center for BIXPO, with organizations like the U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the International Federation of Inventors' Association (IFIA) , International Council of Large Electric Systems and International Conference and Exhibition on Electricity Distribution to take part in various events.

Local organizations such as the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers, the Korea Carbon Capture and Storage Association, and the Korea Electrical Engineering and Science Research Institute will also be present at the three-day gathering.

KEPCO said Nobel laureate Peter Grunberg, EPRI CEO Michael Howard and Alireza Rastegar, president of IFIA are to be guest speakers at the special lecture sessions.

For ordinary people visiting the exposition, the local power company said a hands-on exhibit will be set up where people can experience such things as electric sparks and examine various power generation equipment. There will be a theme exhibit for people to see the past, present and future of electric power, it said.