Korea excludes substations from landscaping rules to prevent wildfires
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Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) will remove landscaping from 367 existing substations and forgo it on future builds, following a revised regulation exempting substations near mountains from mandatory green space requirements.
Previously, building projects exceeding 200 square meters needed to dedicate 5 to 15 percent of their land to landscaping. However, KEPCO and relevant government ministries argued that vegetation near mountain substations could contribute to the spread of wildfires and damage power facilities.
The amended enforcement ordinance to the Building Act, revised in July, now exempts substations within 50 meters of a mountain or mountainside. KEPCO plans to prioritize the removal of trees from existing substations based on wildfire risk, completing the work by 2029. KEPCO intends to use the cleared land as firebreaks, enhancing safety around power infrastructure.
The company stated it will also strengthen preventative measures and monitoring, especially during autumn, the peak wildfire season, to improve the resilience of its power supply.
