"AI Operates, Robots Inspect"... Ushering in the Era of Autonomous Operation for Domestic Gas Turbines

[AI Innovation at a Public Corporation] Korea Western Power

Editor's NoteThis series spotlights the remarkable achievements of the public sector in improving quality of life and delivering tangible results through AI innovation. It features projects among the 30 outstanding initiatives selected on October 28, 2026, at the 2026 Public Institution AI Innovation Achievement Contest, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Science and ICT, ranging from preventing solitary deaths to enhancing aviation control safety and building autonomously operated power plants.

Korea Western Power's award-winning project, "Korea's First Homegrown Gas Turbine Operated by AI and Inspected by Robots," is an innovative model that goes beyond monitoring power generation facility data by connecting operations, diagnostics, optimization, and on-site safety management in a single autonomous system.

Lee Jeongbok, president of Korea Western Power (second from left), inspects the site where an intelligent autonomous inspection quadruped robot has been deployed. Korea Western Power

Korea Western Power introduced eight domestically developed AI semiconductor chips and a large language model (LLM) for power plant operations in collaboration with the Korea Electric Power Corporation's KEPCO Research Institute and promising Korean startups. In a demonstration, AI proactively analyzes signs of equipment abnormalities in a virtual space known as a "digital twin," after which robots are deployed on-site to conduct inspections.

By building this kind of intelligently autonomous power plant, the project is expected to replace 37% of inspection work currently performed by personnel with robots, save 7,300 work hours annually, and cut costs by 2.12 billion won.

In particular, the achievement is expected to significantly reduce workers' exposure to hazards at power plants, where risks such as high temperatures and high pressure are widespread. It is also significant for increasing technological self-reliance by localizing the core technologies: AI semiconductors and software.

Lee Jeongbok, president of Korea Western Power, said, "By integrating advanced technologies into domestically produced gas turbines, we have improved operational efficiency and safety at the same time." He added, "We will continue to advance the localization of core technologies and AI-based facility management technologies to lead mutually beneficial growth with the public."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.