LG Heading Toward RE100, Establishes Solar Power Plant at 'LG Smart Park' with GS EPS

Expected Effect of Planting 20,000 Trees by Reducing Annual Carbon Emissions by 3,000 Tons

Aerial view of the solar power plant installed on the rooftop of the LG Smart Park building / Source=LG Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] LG Electronics and GS EPS signed a business agreement on the 16th to establish a 'non-grid-connected direct power purchase agreement (PPA) type solar power plant.' GS EPS is a power generation company under the GS Group. LG Electronics will accelerate the transition to renewable energy by building a solar power plant at the GS EPS-operated 'LG Smart Park' in Changwon.

GS EPS will be responsible for installing and operating the power plant on the rooftop of the LG Smart Park building. Considering space efficiency, they plan to install 10,000 solar panels on the rooftop of the LG Smart Park integrated production building by 2025. The panel area alone is 20,000 square meters (㎡), equivalent to the size of three soccer fields. The first phase of construction will be completed within the year to begin operation. LG Electronics plans to purchase and use the electricity generated from this power plant.

The power plant constructed by GS EPS is a non-grid-connected type that goes beyond the direct PPA where suppliers and users trade directly, delivering the generated electricity directly to the user without passing through the Korea Electric Power Corporation’s transmission and distribution network. This method is newly introduced this month by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to promote RE100 (100% renewable energy use). LG Electronics and GS EPS are the first domestic companies to attempt this. By applying this method, electricity is supplied directly from the solar power plant to the LG Smart Park integrated production building, reducing additional costs such as KEPCO network usage fees or separate dedicated transmission line installation fees.

The power plant has a total capacity of 5 megawatts (MW), with an annual power generation of approximately 6,600 MWh. This amount can replace more than 10% of the annual electricity used by the LG Smart Park integrated production building. Upon completion, the power plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 3,000 tons annually. This effect is equivalent to planting about 20,000 trees per year.

LG Electronics and GS EPS expect this project to serve as an example of participating in climate change response efforts demanded by the international community, such as carbon neutrality (Net Zero) and RE100. They also explain that it could become a case of establishing a new business model domestically through stable facility construction and reasonable electricity rates. LG Electronics is striving to convert 100% of the energy used at all domestic and overseas business sites to renewable energy by 2050.

Park Pyeonggu, Head of LG Electronics Safety and Environment Group, said, “We will steadily promote the transition to renewable energy at major business sites and provide a differentiated customer experience unique to LG Electronics with premium products that also consider the environment.”

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