Wave power station remains idle due to broken cables: state audit

SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean wave power station has remained idle for one and a half years due to damage on undersea transmission cables, the state audit agency said Tuesday, triggering criticism over a lack of government oversight.

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said that the power station in the waters off the country's southern resort island of Jeju has yet to begin its operation since it was built in December 2014 because of the damaged cables.

In March 2015, the cables were damaged by strong sea currents.

The BAI attributed the damage to a substandard "stone bag" installed to fix the cables. A 24-ton stone bag was supposed to be placed to protect the cables from possible typhoons or strong currents, but a 16-ton stone bag has been installed instead, according to the BAI.

In July 2011, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries commissioned the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering to push for the project to develop a wave power generation facility with a budget of 24.3 billion won (US$20.9 million).

The firm that was in charge of installing the cables has refused to repair the broken cables for an unspecified reason, leaving the power plant at a standstill.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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