The head of South Korea's state-owned utility giant visited the Governor's Complex Wednesday to express gratitude to the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio Administration for helping keep construction of Guam's new Ukudu power plant on track through eight years of hurricanes, a pandemic and global economic disruption.
KEPCO Chairman and CEO Kim Dong-Cheol will join Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt. Governor Joshua Tenorio and Guam Power Authority leadership Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new 198-megawatt facility in Ukudu.
The nearly $600 million plant was built on a 45-acre site purchased in 2018 and overcame Typhoons Mawar and Sinlaku, the COVID-19 pandemic and significant global supply chain disruptions during construction. The state-of-the-art facility includes a 25-megawatt energy storage system and is designed to reduce GPA's oil imports by nearly one million barrels annually. It is also capable of running on liquefied natural gas and was purpose-built to support greater integration of renewable energy, including solar power, into Guam's clean energy plan.
Kim, who also served four terms in South Korea's National Assembly, spoke of KEPCO's willingness to continue partnering with Guam on fortifying its power system going forward. KEPCO currently operates in more than 25 countries, including projects in California, Colorado and New York.
