LG Electronics is mobilizing its full smart factory business capabilities, including physical AI (artificial intelligence) and digital twins, to build a next-generation AI-based tidal power plant.
LG Electronics said Thursday that it signed an "MOU for Technical Cooperation to Advance the Lake Sihwa AI Tidal Power Plant" with Korea Water Resources Corporation at the Sihwa Tidal Culture Center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.
Through this agreement, LG Electronics and Korea Water Resources Corporation will pursue △the realization of an AI tidal power plant and lighthouse factory △the application and demonstration of advanced technologies such as AI, digital twins, and robots △joint responses to R&D (research and development) and policy projects related to the transition to renewable energy and AI △and joint exploration of overseas projects and cooperation on entering overseas markets. The two companies plan to examine and cooperate on applying AI technology to the Sihwa Tidal Power Plant by combining the power plant operation experience and data accumulated by Korea Water Resources Corporation with LG Electronics' smart factory construction experience.
First, LG Electronics will pursue application and demonstration cooperation for its integrated operation system technology based on digital twins, one of its smart factory solutions. This method involves virtually replicating the entire tidal power plant and linking real-time data from generation equipment and CCTV (closed-circuit television) to manage the plant's status in an integrated manner. It also supports generation output forecasting, verification of operational scenarios, and equipment condition diagnosis.
The company is also examining the application of a specialized AI agent for tidal power plants utilizing "EXAONE" from LG AI Research Institute. The AI agent will support analysis of causes for generation loss, detection of abnormal equipment signs, predictive maintenance, and risk assessment based on the plant's operational status and dashboards. It will also propose optimal operational plans by comprehensively analyzing weather and sea level changes, equipment conditions, and generation data. By learning from operational data and technical documents accumulated during tidal power plant operations, it can support decision-making and improve the efficiency of repetitive tasks such as report writing.
The two parties will also cooperate in the field of physical AI for on-site automation at the power plant. They plan to enhance the safety of power plant operations by performing facility patrols, equipment inspections, hazardous area monitoring, and safety management using multi-functional patrol robots and AI CCTV. They will also automate tasks such as the storage, management, and supply of spare parts, as well as material transportation, using industrial robots.
This collaboration is significant in that it expands LG Electronics' smart factory solution business scope from existing manufacturing and logistics sectors to energy and infrastructure fields. LG Electronics' smart factory solution business has grown rapidly, surpassing 1 trillion won in cumulative orders as of the first half of this year, just two years after its launch. As the business area diversifies into the public sector, its growth momentum is expected to accelerate.
In particular, through cooperation with the Sihwa Tidal Power Plant, which is the largest in the world by generation capacity, it is expected that the possibility of applying smart factory technology to energy and infrastructure fields will be verified, and the business scope will continue to expand into domestic and international energy infrastructure projects.
In its early stages, LG Electronics developed its smart factory business centered on manufacturing customers in electronics, automotive components, and batteries. Recently, it has expanded its customer base to the logistics sector, cultivating it as a B2B (business-to-business) solution business that supports operational innovation across various industries.
Lee Seung-gi, Head of the Smart Factory Solutions Center, stated, "It is highly meaningful that LG Electronics is applying its smart factory capabilities accumulated in manufacturing sites to the public infrastructure sector." He added, "Together with Korea Water Resources Corporation, we will support the digital transformation of the Lake Sihwa Tidal Power Plant and enhance the efficiency and safety of power plant operations."
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