KERI at 50: Grid Testing, SiC and Solid-State Battery Materials

By Tom Whitfield

KERI was founded in 1976 with 43 researchers and a KRW 700 million budget; the government-funded institute now employs 902 people and operates on an annual budget of KRW 191.5 billion. Its portfolio has widened from electrical-equipment testing to grid controls, advanced materials, power semiconductors and secondary batteries.

At a November 5 anniversary ceremony at its headquarters in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, KERI announced a new vision for the electrification era. Ministry of Science and ICT director general for basic and source research policy Yoon Gyeongsuk attended the ceremony. National Research Council of Science & Technology chair Kim Youngsik and Changwon Mayor Kang Giyoon also attended, along with institute personnel and other officials.

KERI traces its origin to the Korea Electric Machinery Testing Institute, established in 1976. South Korea’s power industry then relied heavily on overseas suppliers for key equipment and technologies. Building domestic testing, certification and grid engineering therefore reduced dependence on foreign systems and gave local equipment makers a technical base.

President Kang Sanghee took office in September 2026. Kang said: “Our 50 years of dedication to electricity, though invisible to the eye, have blossomed into the most vivid miracle of all: the advancement of South Korea’s industry.”

He continued: “We will stand at the heart of the nation’s electrification era and move toward a century of innovation that will transform the world for the better.” The statement linked the institute’s original engineering work with a much broader electrification portfolio.

KERI cited research by Kang Taewon, a professor at the Graduate School of National Policy at Chungnam National University. The study estimated that KERI-related research and development, testing and certification had generated KRW 102 trillion and KRW 3.3 billion in production, KRW 26 trillion and KRW 867.2 billion in added value, and 154,675 jobs.

The announcement did not explain the relationship between the paired monetary figures. These estimates describe wider industry effects rather than KERI’s own revenue.

How did KERI build domestic grid control?

KERI localized power-grid operation technology through the Korea Distribution Automation System, or KODAS, which it developed in 1997. The system helped shorten power-outage recovery times, turning distribution control into a domestic engineering capability rather than an imported product.

In 2003, KERI commercialized 765-kilovolt extra-high-voltage power equipment. In 2014, it localized the next-generation Energy Management System, or EMS, which integrates electricity supply and demand with grid operations.

Taken together, these milestones moved essential grid functions from overseas suppliers into South Korean engineering. That accumulated expertise formed the base for KERI’s later expansion into components and advanced materials.

How does certification help domestic equipment makers enter export markets?

KERI built testing and certification into a core service that supports overseas expansion by domestic electrical-equipment companies. In 2011, it became a full member of the Short-Circuit Testing Liaison, or STL, gaining internationally recognized capability to test and certify electrical equipment.

That recognition matters because KERI’s services help domestic companies reduce the testing procedures and costs required to enter overseas markets. Certification has therefore become a commercial service, not only a research function.

Which advanced technologies has KERI developed?

Beyond grid systems and defense, KERI reports developing electromagnetic-pulse protection technologies, silicon carbide power semiconductors and technologies for the mass synthesis of solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries. The announcement gives no process node, wafer size, production capacity, shipment schedule or revenue for the semiconductor and battery programs.

In 2015, KERI established the Land-Based Test Site, or LBTS, for electric ships. The site created a foundation for validating submarine propulsion systems and gave defense work a dedicated testing environment.

KERI identifies grid localization and certification as established achievements. Its anniversary plan treats SiC and solid-electrolyte work as strategic technologies to secure, without capacity or pricing commitments. The portfolio is technically broader, but its commercial scale remains undisclosed.

What comes after the 50th anniversary?

KERI’s next agenda combines artificial intelligence and digital technologies for grid upgrades with work on power semiconductors and secondary batteries. The institute also plans to expand industry-academia-research collaboration. KERI operates regional centers in Ansan, Uiwang, Gwangju and Gimhae in addition to its Changwon headquarters.

Kang set three directions: stronger research capabilities in power policy, securement of core technologies for advanced industries and expanded collaboration with regional industries. This agenda extends KERI’s original power-policy and testing mandate into components, materials and digital grid systems.

No new capacity, pricing or shipment target accompanied the announcement. The near-term commercial test is whether planned collaboration turns SiC, battery-material and AI-grid research into products and services that domestic electrical-equipment makers can deploy in export markets.

The next measure of KERI’s commercial influence will be whether its certification position and new materials research produce repeatable deployments that help South Korean suppliers compete more effectively overseas. That outcome depends on the institute’s planned industry, academic and research partnerships delivering usable technology rather than isolated results.