Kyungnam Energy joins major disaster response drill in Gimhae

Kyungnam Energy said Friday it had taken part in the "2026 Large-Scale Complex Disaster Emergency Rescue Comprehensive Drill" held recently at Lotte Premium Outlets in Gimhae, using the exercise to assess its capacity to respond to city gas accidents.

The drill was conducted jointly by 12 agencies, including the Gimhae city government, the Gimhae West Fire Station and the Gimhae West Police Station. It focused on evaluating each agency's ability to carry out its assigned duties and on testing inter-agency coordination in the event of a large-scale complex disaster.

Kyungnam Energy participated in a scenario simulating a medium-pressure city gas pipeline rupture and gas leak during excavation work. The company ran through its step-by-step response manual — from receiving the incident report and relaying the situation, through emergency dispatch, scene control and emergency measures, to pipeline restoration.

The company also deployed its self-developed explosion-proof pad during the gas leak containment phase, verifying the equipment's effectiveness and its applicability in the field.

Scene control and information-sharing systems were also put to the test. Live footage captured by drones and mobile video equipment was transmitted in real time to a central operations center, while the company's own safety management system was activated to monitor the incident and confirm command-and-control procedures.

"Thorough preparation and repeated drills are essential to responding swiftly and accurately to unexpected accidents," said Shin Chang-dong, chief executive of Kyungnam Energy. "We will continue to maintain close cooperation with relevant agencies to keep our community safe."