KENTECH Proposes Solutions for Lee Jaemyung Administration's "Energy Expressway" Policy

Korea Energy Technology University held a press conference at its main campus on the afternoon of the 25th to explain solutions for building an energy expressway. Provided by Korea Energy Technology University

Korea Energy Technology University (KENTECH) has put forward policy and technological solutions for the construction of the "energy expressway," a core energy policy of the new administration.

At a press conference held at the university's main campus on the 25th, Kim Seungwan, a professor at the KENTECH Energy Policy Research Institute, stated, "To realize the energy expressway policy of the Lee Jaemyung administration, an integrated approach that connects technology and policy is necessary, and KENTECH will play a key role in this effort."

Since his candidacy, President Lee Jaemyung has pledged to drive economic growth and balanced regional development through the energy expressway, emphasizing a policy that simultaneously expands renewable energy and upgrades the power grid. The "energy expressway," a core energy pledge of President Lee, aims to transmit 20GW of offshore wind power from the west coast to major industrial zones by 2030 and to complete a U-shaped energy expressway across the Korean Peninsula by 2040.

KENTECH is expected to play a pivotal role as a technology incubator for implementing these government policies, particularly in enhancing the utilization of wind and solar resources in the Honam region and in designing the "U-shaped offshore power grid."

To support this, Professor Kim Seungwan presented various model analysis results. According to his integrated planning model analysis, expanding BESS (battery energy storage systems) will be essential until the early 2030s, while the construction of offshore HVDC (high-voltage direct current) lines after 2035 will be key to resolving power grid bottlenecks.

KENTECH's six core research areas?energy AI, energy new materials, next-generation grid, hydrogen energy, environment and climate technology, and nuclear energy?cover the technological domains necessary for realizing energy policy. Professor Kim emphasized, "The energy expressway is not merely a transmission network, but an infrastructure for a new energy paradigm encompassing industry, technology, and regions," adding, "KENTECH is the strategic hub for this initiative."

Additionally, KENTECH launched the Energy Policy Research Institute last month to serve as a national think tank connecting technology and policy. The institute will anticipate proactive technological and environmental changes in response to shifts in the global energy paradigm and will support the implementation of national energy policy by evaluating the technical feasibility of energy policies and assisting in policy planning.

Park Jin-ho, acting president, stated, "KENTECH is evolving beyond a specialized energy university to become an implementation partner for national energy transition policy," and added, "We will continue to establish KENTECH's unique identity as a problem-solving university dedicated to addressing the energy crisis."

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