Gwangyang Steelworks Holds 'Energy Saving Idea Contest'

Call for New Technologies and Process Innovations for Energy Saving

POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Jin-su) is hosting an ‘Energy Saving Idea Contest’ to secure energy competitiveness at the steelworks and establish energy-saving measures.

Gwangyang Steelworks organized this event to build groundbreaking ways to save energy through the collective effort of all employees in response to the rapidly increasing energy demand nationwide.

Gwangyang Steelworks is holding an "Energy Saving Idea Contest" for all employees to collect ideas to respond to the rapidly increasing energy demand.
［Image provided by Gwangyang Steelworks］

In fact, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 17th, the total electricity demand this summer reached 100.8 GW (gigawatts), surpassing 100 GW for the first time. This figure represents about a 5% increase compared to last year and a remarkable 13% rise compared to three years ago. With climate change and abnormal heat waves expected to continue driving energy demand upward, Gwangyang Steelworks is taking a leading role in energy-saving efforts.

The contest will solicit ideas divided into three main themes: ▲ ideas for improving various processes including innovation of existing processes ▲ ideas related to enhancing energy efficiency and reducing energy waste within processes ▲ ideas that utilize new energy-saving technologies that can be directly applied on site, aiming to develop practical energy-saving measures for the field.

To encourage employee participation, various awards will be given to employees who achieve excellent results in the evaluation. The evaluation will be conducted based on three criteria: ▲ feasibility of the idea ▲ expected effects from applying the idea ▲ creativity.

In particular, specific standards will be established to estimate the expected effects of idea implementation, promoting more objective and clear energy-saving outcomes. Separate estimation unit costs for each energy source such as electricity, fuel, and water will be provided, allowing employees submitting ideas to concretely anticipate the expected energy-saving effects of their proposals, which is expected to lead to effective idea development.

Um Sang-hyun, Head of the Energy Department at Gwangyang Steelworks, said, “Reducing energy use has become a more important issue than ever in the carbon-neutral era. We will actively participate in national-level energy-saving activities by eliminating energy waste factors within processes and innovating existing processes through improvements in operation methods and processes.”

Meanwhile, Gwangyang Steelworks operates a seawater desalination facility that purifies nearby seawater for reuse as process water to save water resources. It also continues various energy-saving activities, such as transparently disclosing progress to external stakeholders as a member of the ‘Gwangyang City Sustainable Environment Council,’ which includes local community stakeholders and environmental experts.

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