Gwangyang Steelworks Successfully Concludes Energy Saving Idea Contest

Around 65 Entries Submitted: A Variety of Ideas in One Place
Hyungyo Jung from Blast Furnace Equipment Department Wins Grand Prize

The '2025 Energy Saving Idea Contest' organized by POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Jaeyoon Ko) has concluded successfully.

To develop innovative energy-saving solutions and enhance the company's energy competitiveness, Gwangyang Steelworks collected ideas from all employees between March 4 and March 27. The winners were announced on May 19.

Gwangyang Steelworks successfully concluded the 2025 Energy Saving Idea Contest. The photo shows Hyungyo Jung, Assistant Manager of the Blast Furnace Department at Gwangyang Steelworks, who won the Excellence Award (left), and Jaeyoon Ko, Director of Gwangyang Steelworks (right). Provided by Gwangyang Steelworks. Photo by Choi.

As the contest was designed to gather collective wisdom in response to the recent surge in energy demand, more than 65 diverse cases were submitted, including optimization of unnecessary and excessive facility operations, process improvements, and the application of high-efficiency equipment and new technologies in the field.

Participants were provided with expected benefit calculation rates for each energy source such as electricity, fuel, and water, enabling a more objective and clear assessment of energy-saving effects. Based on these calculations, the entries were evaluated on expected benefits, feasibility of implementation, and creativity.

Amid fierce competition, Hyungyo Jung, Assistant Manager of the Blast Furnace Equipment Department at Gwangyang Steelworks, won the Grand Prize for his idea on reducing power consumption in the sintering facility. Jung analyzed past equipment operation data, categorized plant operation cases, and introduced a process to minimize idling, thereby reducing wasted electrical energy.

The Excellence Awards went to Sunguk Jeong, a staff member of the Steelmaking Department, for his idea on reducing converter gas costs, and Heechan Yoon, Assistant Manager of the Plating Department, for his proposal to reduce power consumption by improving the supply method of washing water in the plating plant.

Sunguk Jeong analyzed the gas usage patterns in the converter, divided them into segments, and ensured that optimized gas was supplied to each section. Heechan Yoon proposed reducing unnecessary pump operation by improving the recycling process of washing water used in the plating plant.

The award-winning ideas will either undergo process improvement procedures or be implemented immediately. Gwangyang Steelworks also plans to apply other noteworthy ideas that are expected to yield significant energy savings, even if they were not selected as winners, across the entire plant.

Jaeyoon Ko, Director of Gwangyang Steelworks, stated, "With the critical task of achieving carbon neutrality ahead of us, I believe energy saving is no longer a choice but a necessity. I hope this contest serves as an opportunity for all employees to take the lead in energy conservation together."

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