Korea Gas Corp. expands main pipeline network by 140 km, adds 12 supply stations

Korea Gas Corp. said Friday it operates 5,346 kilometers of main natural gas supply pipelines and 445 supply management stations nationwide as of June 1.

The figures represent an increase of 140 kilometers of main pipeline and 12 supply management stations compared with January last year.

The expansion followed a series of infrastructure projects the state-run utility completed last year, including pipeline construction to supply a combined-cycle power plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province; a main supply pipeline serving the Boseong-gun area of South Jeolla Province (Jangheung to Boseong); and an extension of the pipeline network in the Chungcheong region (Cheongju to Sari).

Through 34 city gas companies, Korea Gas Corp. now supplies natural gas to 216 local governments and 20.399 million households across the country, with a penetration rate of 83.5 percent.

The company plans to extend natural gas service this year to 4,100 households and four industrial complexes in Dangjin and Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. It also supplies natural gas without interruption to 28 power generation companies — including five generation subsidiaries of Korea Electric Power Corp. — to underpin stable national electricity production.

"Natural gas is an essential energy source for people's daily lives and national industry, so we are steadily building out our infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted supply across the country," a Korea Gas Corp. official said. "We will do our utmost — through proactive facility investment and rigorous safety management — to help more people use natural gas safely and conveniently."