LG Group looks saving energy at its affiliates

LG Group said yesterday that it will put more effort into becoming a leading conglomerate in energy efficiency, starting with saving energy at its own affiliates.

“We have been fostering energy solutions as an integral growth engine,” the group said in a statement after it hosted a green energy forum yesterday. “We will further spur the growth of energy solution business.”

As an example, the group said it is already making progress in cutting back on energy costs at its affiliates, including LG Chem.

This month, the world’s leading battery manufacturer plans to begin operating the world’s biggest energy storage system (ESS) at its factories in Iksan, North Jeolla, and Ochang, North Chungcheong.

The ESS stores cheap electricity during the night for use during the day when electricity is more expensive. An energy management system (EMS) with a capacity of 23 megawatts per hour will be installed at Iksan while an EMS with 7 MWh capacity will be used at Ochang, the group said.

Combined, the company said it expects the two systems will amount to 1.3 billion won ($1.28 million) in electricity cost savings annually.

LG Group tested EMS at Iksan last month and Yoon Sang-jick, the minister of trade, industry and energy, visited LG Chem’s Iksan factory on June 27. The minister saw that the system was effective and agreed to help other industrial sites in Korea install EMS, according to the group.

“LG Chem will secure its leadership in the ESS market on the back of its confidence in technologies, including in mid- and large-size batteries, where it is No.1 in the world,” the statement said.

In line with the company’s energy-saving trajectory, LG CNS is implementing smart lighting solutions at its workplaces in Paju, Gyeonggi, and Gumi, North Gyeongsang. By next month, the company will replace 530,000 fluorescent light bulbs with LED lights, which it expects will save 6.8 billion won per year.

LG Electronics is using a Building Energy Management System to limit energy use at its workplaces in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, Changwon, South Gyeongsang, and in Seoul.

BY MOON GWANG-LIP [joe@joongang.co.kr]