Korea South-East Power bags win at Asian Power Awards 2025 for coal handling equipment

It has developed a modular, non-contact side skirt and an automatic misalignment adjustment system to prevent spillage.

Electric utility Korea South-East Power (KOEN) took home the R&D Project of the Year - Korea at the Asian Power Awards 2025 for its success in reducing coal spillage through the development of new coal handling technologies.

KOEN’s key personnel from the operations and maintenance departments participated in discussions to create a spillage map and devise reduction strategies in order to address some of the main causes of coal spillage: snaking and damage to the conveyor belt's side spillage prevention plates.

This has led to the development of the two technologies: a modular, non-contact side skirt that aims to reduce the amount of spillage and eliminate fire risks, as well as a real-time automatic misalignment adjustment system that prevents spillage and equipment damage by adjusting a moving chute.

The newly applied automatic misalignment adjustment system and non-contact side skirts on the coal conveyor belts have achieved a spillage reduction rate of 88.4%. This is expected to reduce annual spillage of 10,000 tons by 8,840 tons, resulting in a cost saving of KRW1.5b. At the same time, by preventing conveyor belt damage that occurs over five times a year, it is expected to save KRW1b in material costs and KRW100m in labour costs for the conveyor belt.

Meanwhile, the risk of fire from coal spillage and dust at coal-fired power plants is also going to be lowered, with the workload for cleaning and maintenance personnel also expected to be reduced. Consequently, safety accidents are expected to decrease and the significant reduction in dust is going to contribute to a more eco-friendly image for coal power generation.

The success of the technologies has led KOEN to reduce power generation operating costs by expanding the application of new spillage-reduction technologies on the Yeongheung coal-fired generator conveyor belts.

Asian Power Awards is a prestigious event that honours outstanding companies and projects driving innovation, sustainability, and resilience in the power sector. It recognises groundbreaking initiatives that address climate challenges, energy demand, digital transformation, and long-term impact across the industry.

The Asian Power Awards is presented by Asian Power Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2026 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's revolutionary innovations and initiatives, please contact Danica Avila at [email protected]