SK Chairman Chey Tae-won Visits Vietnam, Pledges to Strengthen Cooperation in Eco-friendly Business

Visiting Vietnam on 27-28 After France and Africa
Attending CEO Meetings, National Innovation Center Opening, and Hydrogen Events
Focusing on Next Month's Busan Expo Bid and Global Management

SK Group is strengthening its cooperation with the Vietnamese government in 'green business' sectors such as renewable energy and resource circulation projects.

SK Group announced on the 29th that Chairman Chey Tae-won and key CEOs in the green sector visited Hanoi, Vietnam, on the 27th and 28th, meeting with senior government officials and agreeing to pursue a wide range of projects from hydrogen, solar, and wind power generation to biodegradable materials and resource circulation.

On the 27th, Chairman Chey held talks with Vuong Dinh Hue, Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly, at the National Assembly, and on the 28th, he met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the National Innovation Center (NIC) located in the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park to discuss green business cooperation in depth. At subsequent events including the National Hydrogen Summit, Chairman Chey stated, “We plan to support Vietnam’s clean energy transition and collaborate to achieve net zero by utilizing advanced technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), small modular reactors (SMR), and energy solutions.” He added, “Our goal is to establish an eco-friendly ecosystem throughout the entire process from production to consumption in partnership with the local government and partners.”

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam are shaking hands on the 28th at the Hoa Lac National Innovation Center (NIC) in Vietnam.
[Photo by SK Group]

During his visit to Vietnam, Chairman Chey repeatedly emphasized partnership and expressed his commitment to continuing a sincere relationship over the past 30 years to jointly support Vietnam’s industrial transformation and new changes. SK has contributed $30 million (approximately 40 billion KRW) to the establishment of the Vietnam National Innovation Center, supporting startup cultivation and technological innovation. SK will operate an exhibition booth at the ‘VIIE (Vietnam International Innovation Expo) 2023,’ held from the 28th through the 1st of next month, as the opening event of the National Innovation Center.

The trip was accompanied by key executives in the green and energy sectors, including Cho Dae-sik, Chairman of the SK Supex Council, Chu Hyung-wook, President of SK E&S, Park Kyung-il, President of SK Ecoplant, and Park Won-cheol, President of SKC. Chairman Chey and the executives inspected sites, encouraged local employees, and engaged in passionate discussions about the direction of their Southeast Asian business.

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, emphasized green business cooperation in his congratulatory speech at the 'National Hydrogen Summit' held on the 28th at the Hoa Lac National Innovation Center (NIC) in Vietnam.
[Photo by SK Group]

Through this visit, SK Group affiliates will expand their eco-friendly businesses locally. The Vietnamese government announced in May through the 8th National Power Development Plan that it will reduce coal dependency and increase the share of renewable energy. SK E&S has completed and is commercially operating a 281 MW solar and offshore wind power plant locally. It plans to build an additional 756 MW onshore wind power plant and pursue clean hydrogen and LNG projects.

SKC is constructing the world’s largest biodegradable material production facility in Haiphong, Vietnam, aiming for operation in 2025. SK Ecoplant, after applying AI technology to an incineration facility in Bac Ninh, northern Vietnam, is exploring waste treatment and used battery recycling projects with local resource circulation companies.

An SK official said, “Vietnam has been a symbolic partner with whom we have shared various businesses and social activities since Chairman Choi Jong-hyun, the predecessor of Chairman Chey, started local oil development projects in the 1990s.” He added, “The Vietnamese government is promoting ‘net zero by 2050’ as a national core task, which is expected to create synergy with SK’s green business projects and ESG management policies.” He further stated, “In addition to green business, we will expand collaboration for sustainable growth in digital and advanced industrial sectors.”

SK executives concluded a hectic October overseas business trip schedule that spanned from the CEO seminar in Paris, France, to Africa and Vietnam. Next month, SK executives plan to visit various parts of the world including Pacific island countries, Latin America, and Europe, focusing on global management and efforts to attract the 2030 Busan World Expo.

On the 28th, at the opening ceremony of the Hoa Lac National Innovation Center (NIC) in Vietnam, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Vietnamese political and government officials are taking a commemorative photo.
[Photo by SK Group]

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