SK Telecom and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) are planning to build smart plants based on 5G and quantum cryptography communication.
The two companies completed the application of QKD (Quantum Key Distributor) to the telecommunication network that connects KHNP's Gyeongju headquarters and Samrangjin's Yangsu Power Plant office on June 23 and held a ceremony to open Korea's first smart plant quantum cryptography.
The application of quantum cryptography communication within the power plant's communication network was the first of its kind in Korea for commercial work and was pushed to strengthen the security of power generation facilities that require high levels of security.
SK Telecom said it has applied IDQ's advanced technology, the world's No. 1 quantum cryptography communication company, to its telecommunication network to prevent hacking concerns about the section.
In addition to applying quantum cryptography communication, the two companies have established a private 5G base to prevent leakage of mobile business data in power generation facilities over the past year, set up a new and renewable energy monitoring private IoT for real-time transmission of field data, a pilot project for PS-LTE of Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant No. 6 to implement a mobile business environment, and a variety of smart projects such as applying the 'T Live Caster' of KHNP headquarters in Gyeongju to monitor real time video.
Based on this, it is planning to implement Smart Plant in earnest starting from this year. Smart plant is a power plant that efficiently produces energy using 5G, quantum cryptography communication, artificial intelligence, and cloud, and combines online and offline based on strong security to enable efficient operation.
By actively utilizing advanced ICT technologies such as 5G, quantum cryptography, and IoT, SK Telecom is planning to implement QRNG (Quantum Random Number Generator) with double security for QKD (Quantum Cryptographic Communication)-based transmission technology and on-site mobile access.
In addition, the company plans to carry out tasks such as efficient automatic control and application technology using image analysis technology and implementation of digital prediction diagnosis system through IoT-based real-time data collection.
"The implementation of smart plants is the goal of digital transformation that KHNP wants to achieve, and wireless communication technology is responsible for the same functions as the nerves in digital transformation," said Park Sang-hyung, head of the digital innovation promotion team at KHNP. "We will complete the implementation of smart plants by utilizing ICT technology from SK Telecom, a leading wireless communication company."
Shin Yong-sik, head of SK Telecom's Massive IoT Business Division, said, "Advanced ICT such as 5G and quantum cryptography communication have been applied to B2B fields this year, and conditions have been prepared for the implementation of smart plants. We will continue to cooperate with KHNP to innovate power generation facilities, which are the stable foundation of our industry and people's lives."
