SKT Collaborates with Local Governments to Reduce Carbon Emissions... Annual Reduction of 4,200 Tons

SK Telecom is pursuing official carbon emission rights certification from the Ministry of Environment based on the reduction performance of local governments' electricity usage and greenhouse gas emissions through the introduction of high-efficiency LED lighting and the application of a smart control system.

SKT, Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province, and Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do announced on the 2nd that they have signed an agreement to promote the ‘Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme External Project.’

Through this agreement, SKT and the local governments plan to obtain carbon emission rights reduction certification over the next 10 years with approval from the Ministry of Environment, starting with external project registration within this year. For local governments to secure carbon emission rights, they must register an external greenhouse gas reduction project, receive approval of the related project plan from the Ministry of Environment, and then be recognized for reduction certification performance through monitoring and verification every two years.

The external project in the ‘Industrial Development Sector’ to be registered this time is the first project of its kind for both Hwaseong City and Suncheon City within their respective provinces, Gyeonggi-do and Jeollanam-do. As part of a regional energy new industry activation support project, SKT replaced 21,938 streetlights and security lights in these areas with high-efficiency LED lighting, reducing carbon emissions by 4,200 tons annually.

In this project, SKT not only replaced the lighting with high-efficiency LEDs but also established a lighting management system using communication and big data technologies to maximize electricity usage and carbon emission reduction effects. By utilizing LTE and IoT (Internet of Things) communication networks, the system integrates electricity usage data and T map traffic data for comprehensive management, achieving approximately a 30% reduction in electricity consumption compared to before. Hwaseong City adjusts streetlight brightness by lowering it to about 70% of maximum brightness when the T map traffic condition on the road is ‘smooth’ and operating at maximum brightness when the condition is ‘congested,’ thereby reducing electricity usage. The brightness is adjusted within levels that meet all road lighting requirements, so there are no safety issues.

Through this agreement, Hwaseong City is expected to achieve an annual greenhouse gas reduction of 3,000 tons, and Suncheon City 1,200 tons. If the emission rights are sold at 30,000 KRW per ton, Hwaseong City can secure up to 450 million KRW and Suncheon City 180 million KRW in non-tax revenue over 10 years. The economic effect is expected to increase as the price of carbon emission rights rises. SKT also expects to be recognized for an annual reduction performance of 2,100 tons through performance sharing with each local government. Based on the successful carbon reduction cooperation cases with Hwaseong and Suncheon, SKT plans to expand its business to other local governments and public enterprises.

Shin Yong-sik, head of SKT Connectivity CO, stated, “SK Telecom will lead ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management by contributing to carbon neutrality through advanced ICT energy technology, not only reducing energy costs but also cutting carbon emissions.”

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