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| Title | [Korea Herald] Supporting bid for World Energy Congress-(p.5) | 2008.09.16 |
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FROM: Korea Herald OPEC is the highest-profile international organization of major oil producing nations. But not many people know about the World Energy Council, despite its importance in the energy sector, a vice chairman of the organization said. The WEC is the most representative body of the energy industry, with members from nearly 100 countries, while OPEC has only 13. Unlike OPEC, the WEC is also participated in by both the public and private sector and covers all types of energy, including coal and renewables, the vice chairman, Younghoon David Kim, said. Academia has been also active in the organization, most notably in its triennial meeting, the World Energy Congress. This gathering, at which hundreds of papers on key energy issues are presented, serves as a forum for sharing the latest research on energy, Kim explained. He is determined to bring the world's top energy-related conference to Korea in 2013, in collaboration with the central and local governments. He is working on shoring up support for Daegu's bid at the FT-WEC Energy Leaders Summit in London from Sept. 16-17. Kim is the chairman and CEO of Daesung Group, a leading energy firm in Korea, "The World Energy Congress is like the Olympics in the energy sector because of its representation and inclusiveness. All energy-related issues are summed up in the meeting," he said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week before departing for London. Daegu is vying with Durban, South Africa and Copenhagen to host the 2013 event. The winner will be decided and announced in November. Kim said that hosting the event in Korea is crucial because Asia is important in the international energy market. He added that the Asia-Pacific region is the "microcosm" of the world's energy market, as it is the leader in terms of energy-trading volume. Northeast Asia is also the microcosm of the future energy market worldwide, insofar as it is so short on energy resources. Government officials say that Korea is the best candidate to address energy issues because some of its Asian peers are the world's fastest-growing economies and are thus substantially increasing the global demand for energy. For Korea, ensuring stable energy supplies is crucial, as the country relies on imports for most of its energy needs. Daegu, one of the most industrialized cities in the nation, has played a pioneering role in promoting renewable energy sources by operating a landfill power plant and adopting a long-term master plan in 2005 to sustain growth based on renewable energy resources. Daesung Group has pioneered the renewable energy sector at home and abroad. In 2003, the company set up a hybrid solar and wind power system called "SolarWin" in Mongolia's' Gobi desert, capitalizing on the nation's very plentiful sunlight and wind to produce electricity. Not only has the "SolarWin" project helped the Central Asian nation deal with an energy shortage; it has helped Mongolia combat desertification. The water produced by solar and wind power has been used to irrigate the vast desert from underground. The so-called Green Eco-city project, begun as a SolarWin project there in 2003, has been underway in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator. This week, construction of a solar and wind plant will be completed there. "The project has several benefits: resolving both water and energy poverty, producing food, preventing desertification and yellow dust sandstorm," Kim emphasized. The project will also substantially raise the property value around the eco-park by turning arid land into forest. "The project will create a whole new world," he said. Another key pillar of the group's renewable energy business is a landfill power plant in Daegu which converts gas to energy for heat and power. A reduction in methane gas emissions has led to a cutting of greenhouse gases equivalent to 500,000 tons of CO2. "There are several sanitary landfills in Korea, but this one is the most profitable," he said. He added that the company is in negotiations with big cities in China and Vietnam to export its landfill gas technology. . By Jin Hyun-joo |
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| NO | Title | Date |
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| 197 | [Korea Herald][NEW GROWTH ENGINES (... | 2008.10.31 |
| 196 | 2008 ICU Council Meeting | 2008.10.27 |
| 195 | COLORFUL DAEGU PRE-CHAMPIONSHIPS ME... | 2008.09.26 |
| 194 | [Korea Herald] Supporting bid for W... | 2008.09.16 |
| 193 | [Korea Joongang Daily] Daesung push... | 2008.09.05 |
