Ob Beer Starts Beer Production Using Solar Energy

Business Agreement with Kepco Energy Solutions and Ion Earth at Samsung-dong Headquarters on the 23rd
Solar Power Facilities Installed at 3 OB Beer Factories, Used for Beer Production

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] OB Beer is accelerating the production of beer using eco-friendly renewable energy such as solar power.

On the 23rd at 10 a.m., OB Beer announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a ‘solar power joint project’ with Kepco Energy Solutions and Ion Earth at OB Beer headquarters in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu. Through this agreement, OB Beer will be able to produce beer using solar energy generated directly at its three beer production plants in Gwangju, Cheongju, and Icheon.

According to the agreement, OB Beer will provide sites within the Gwangju, Cheongju, and Icheon plants for the installation of solar power generation facilities and use the electricity generated at the plants for beer production, paying electricity usage fees and rent to the facility operators. Kepco Energy Solutions will be responsible for the design, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the solar power generation facilities. Ion Earth will operate the solar power facilities, handling operation and maintenance, securing carbon emission rights, and conducting performance evaluation and verification related to operations. This is the first time that the ‘RE100 (Renewable Energy 100%)’ project has been concretely announced and implemented in Korea.

The three companies that signed the agreement plan to break ground at the OB Beer Gwangju plant in December 2020, start initial operations in early 2021, and aim to operate all three plants within the first half of the year. OB Beer plans to use approximately 12 GWh of solar power annually for beer production. By replacing the electricity used for beer production with eco-friendly renewable energy, OB Beer can directly reduce about 5,621 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Over the 30-year lifespan of the facilities, a total power supply of 343 GWh and a reduction of more than 160,000 tons of CO2 are expected.

CEO Bae Ha-jun said, “With this agreement, the RE100 project will officially start in Korea,” adding, “We will actively respond to the climate change crisis by expanding the use of eco-friendly renewable energy and strive even harder to fulfill environmental protection and social responsibilities as a leading company in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management.”

OB Beer’s global headquarters, AB InBev, is a member of ‘RE100,’ a voluntary initiative of companies aiming to source all electricity from renewable energy. RE100 member companies are required to source 100% of their electricity from renewable energy by 2050. AB InBev has announced plans to achieve 100% renewable energy use worldwide by 2025, well ahead of the target, and is actively pursuing eco-friendly management.

Kepco Energy Solutions, established by KEPCO and six power generation companies, is a specialized energy efficiency organization engaged in investment and EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects for energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction. Through this RE100 project, it is expected to establish a sustainable model for renewable energy projects and play a leading role in the revival of carbon emission reduction projects together with OB Beer.

Ion Earth is a carbon-neutral energy solutions company that, in addition to the RE100 solar power project, is a venture company developing and commercializing pioneering carbon-neutral models such as energy innovation parks, urban energy basic income, and ESS-based charging platforms. (Carbon neutrality means absorbing the emitted carbon dioxide to make the net carbon emissions zero.)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.