<기사제목>Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Designates 17 Energy-Specialized Companies in Gwangju and Jeonnam

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 30th that 17 companies among the energy industry convergence complexes in Gwangju and Jeonnam have been designated as energy-specialized companies by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 31st.

A total of 84 companies applied from six energy industry convergence complexes nationwide (Gwangju·Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, Busan·Ulsan, Chungbuk), and in Gwangju, 22 companies applied from January to February, with 17 companies finally designated.

The energy-specialized companies designated this time are companies specialized in industries that the energy industry convergence complex aims to foster intensively, such as smart grids and energy efficiency improvement, and are expected to contribute to the establishment and activation of the convergence complex ecosystem.

Energy-specialized companies are designated through a comprehensive evaluation of technology level, management capability, and linkage with key industries, targeting resident companies in the convergence complex whose energy and related industry sales account for 50% or more of their total sales.

Once designated as energy-specialized companies, they receive benefits such as local tax reductions, a 2% increase in local investment promotion subsidies, and up to 2 additional points when participating as a lead institution in Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy technology development projects.

Additionally, to effectively expand support for energy-specialized companies, a bill to amend the Special Act on Designation and Fostering of Energy Industry Convergence Complexes, allowing additional support such as tax benefits, special cases for national and public property, and priority purchasing by public institutions, has been proposed and is underway in the National Assembly.

Gwangju City plans to form a consultative body of companies designated as energy-specialized companies to continuously collect opinions and establish policies and activation measures for the convergence complex that are practically needed by companies, and will seek various methods such as system improvements and recommendations to central government ministries to reflect the opinions presented by the consultative body.

Gwangju City also plans to provide maximum support for company promotion so that companies that failed to be designated as energy-specialized companies this time can be additionally designated in the second half of the year.

Son Kyung-jong, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Bureau of the city, said, “The designation of energy-specialized companies has given momentum to the activation of the energy industry convergence complex,” and added, “We will form a consultative body of energy-specialized companies and strive to reflect company opinions in policies as much as possible.”

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