The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday that its Huichon power station has started operations, which will help ease electricity shortages in the capital.

Premier Choe Yong Rim told an inauguration ceremony on Thursday that the Huichon power station was "a brilliant fruition of the wise guidance of late leader Kim Jong Il," official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported.

The power station, located in Jagang Province, will also help protect cultivated land and residential areas along the Chongchon River from flooding, and ensure an ample supply of water to the industrial establishments in Huichon and Namhung areas, according to official media reports.

The Central Committee and Central Military Commissions of the Workers' Party of Korea sent a joint congratulatory message to builders and members of shock brigades.

The party "will always remember the heroic feats performed by the builders who erected a gigantic structure for the country's prosperity and its people's happiness," the message said.

The message said it took only three years to complete the construction of the power station, a project which normally needs more than 10 years to finish.

The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly issued a decree on April 1 awarding the Kim Il Sung Prize for the design of the Huichon power station.