Substation Ancillary Facilities in Korea: Building Electrical, Telecom and Fire Systems

Substation ancillary facilities construction in Korea covers reviewing the design and installing the building’s electrical, telecommunications and fire protection systems that keep the substation and its buildings functioning. However well the main plant is built, the substation cannot run safely without proper building earthing, lightning protection, lighting, CCTV and fire detection. This work interlocks with the building program, so coordination is critical. This guide covers three stages: building electrical, telecommunications and fire protection.

Contents

• Common Pre-Work Review
• 1. Building Electrical Systems
• 2. Telecommunications
• 3. Fire Protection
• Fire Protection System Categories
• FAQ
• Reference Standards
• Summary

Common Pre-Work Review

Review KEPCO substation design standards, operating standards, construction procedures, technical specifications and design and manufacturer drawings. For fire systems, check Korea’s fire safety standards (now the NFPC performance and NFTC technical standards), or the local code such as the NEC on overseas projects. Coordinate in advance with other trades working in the same area, and know the specifications of every device and cable so you choose the right installation method. Workers wear insulating gloves, hard hats, vests, safety glasses and dust masks.

1. Building Electrical Systems

1. Review the design for buildability and economy and write a design review report.
2. Prepare an electrical work plan and detailed schedule from the building program.
3. Install the building earthing system.
4. Bond exposed and extraneous conductive parts for equipotential earthing.
5. Install lightning protection to reduce electromagnetic damage from strikes.
6. Install conduit and wiring to power HVAC and plumbing equipment.
7. Install general and emergency lighting to the lighting design, plus energy-saving lighting controls.
8. Install embedded and surface conduits and wiring in step with the building program.

2. Telecommunications

1. Review the telecom design and write a review report.
2. Prepare a telecom work plan and detailed schedule from the building program.
3. Install and test structured cabling for on-site communications.
4. Install and test shared broadcast reception.
5. Install and test CCTV for video surveillance.
6. Install and test radio communication auxiliary systems for firefighting and underground spaces.
7. Install and test public address systems that double as fire alarms.

3. Fire Protection

1. Review the fire protection design and write a review report.
2. Prepare a fire systems work plan and detailed schedule from the building program.
3. Install and test conduit and wiring for fire detectors.
4. Install and test conduit and wiring for the fire alarm control panel.
5. Install and test gas suppression systems and automatic fire detection control panels.
6. Install and test conduit and wiring for emergency lighting and exit signs.
7. Install and test firefighting support systems for interlocked control.

Electrical fire systems include the power side — fire emergency power, exit signs, emergency lighting, emergency outlets and fire-resistant supply wiring — and low-current circuits for fire detection, earth leakage and alarms, plus radio communication auxiliary systems.

Fire Protection System Categories

Category	Main systems
Extinguishing	Extinguishers, indoor and outdoor hydrants, sprinklers, water spray, foam, CO₂, halocarbon, clean agent and dry powder systems
Alarm	Emergency alarms, voice evacuation, automatic fire detection, automatic fire notification, earth leakage alarms
Evacuation	Escape devices, rescue equipment, exit signs, emergency lighting
Fire water	Hydrant water supply, fire water tanks and reservoirs
Firefighting support	Smoke control, standpipes, connected sprinklers, emergency outlets, radio auxiliary, fire spread prevention

Gas-based suppression is common in substations because of electrical rooms. Applicable systems follow the fire design and current fire safety standards.

FAQ

Reference Standards

• Electricity Business Act (전기사업법) — law.go.kr
• Electrical Safety Management Act (전기안전관리법) — law.go.kr
• Electric Technology Management Act (전력기술관리법) — law.go.kr
• Electrical Construction Business Act (전기공사업법) — law.go.kr
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (산업안전보건법) — law.go.kr
• Korea Electro-technical Code (KEC, 한국전기설비규정) — law.go.kr
• Technical Standards for Electrical Equipment (전기설비기술기준) — law.go.kr
• KEPCO design standards and substation construction practice; Korean Industrial Standards (KS)
• NCS competency unit Substation Ancillary Facilities Construction (부대설비공사, 1901070320_22v2; NCS is Korea’s National Competency Standards) — ncs.go.kr

Summary

The most common mistakes are missing the window for embedded conduit by following the building program too passively, and leaving fire and telecom tests until just before completion. Building electrical depends on earthing, bonding and lightning protection; telecom on structured cabling and radio auxiliary; and fire protection on testing detection, alarm and interlock circuits. Related guides: Substation Auxiliary Power Installation, Substation Structural Grounding, Substation Cable Installation. A Korean version of this guide is available here.

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This article restructures the Korean NCS competency unit ‘Substation Ancillary Facilities Construction’ (부대설비공사, code 1901070320_22v2) as a practical reference. Actual work must follow applicable standards and the judgment of qualified professionals; always confirm specific values, deadlines and criteria against the latest regulations and client standards.

Written/reviewed by VOLT · Last updated 2026-10-26