KEPCO to share CO2 decomposition tech to Korea National Railway

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) had signed an agreement for joint use of the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) decomposition technology with the Korea National Railway as part of efforts to limit carbon dioxide emissions.

SF6, a flagship greenhouse gas that is a compound of sulfur and fluorine, is generally used as an insulating gas for power facility switches.

It took one year for KEPCO to succeed in developing new technology that can decompose high-concentrated SF6 at 1,200 degrees Celsius and turn hazardous material into a non-hazardous one by cooling and neutralizing it.

South Korea’s state power firm will complete the first unit of the decomposition facilities, with an annual processing capacity of 60 tons, in June next year.

KEPCO plans to build six decomposition units that would process 300 tons annually.

The facilities would enable KEPCO to turn 6,000 tons of SF6 that it currently keeps into non-hazardous material by 2050.

Consequently, the Korea National Railway will be able to process its SF6 without incurring additional expenses.

The amount of decomposition can be acknowledged as an external greenhouse gas reduction project for KEPCO, enabling it to acquire offsetting emissions rights.