Hanwha eyes solar power hub
President Park Geun-hye, left, talks with Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn during a launching ceremony for a Hanwha-driven project to help startups in South Cheongchung Province at the project’s control office in Cheonan, Friday. Under the project, the company will make Jukdo, a small inhabited island with 70 residents, self-sustainable with renewable energy. / Yonhap
By Park Si-soo
Hanwha Group will lead an ambitious energy self-sufficiency project on Jukdo Island, off Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province.
Jukdo, a small islet with 70 residents in 31 households, will switch its main energy source from diesel fuel to solar power.
The project was unveiled Friday as part of Hanwha’s joint Creative Economy Center project with the province, in a ceremony attended by President Park Geun-hye, among others, in Cheonan.
The country’s 10th biggest conglomerate will also build an industrial cluster committed to the solar energy business and find ways to boost the commercial value of agricultural products harvested in the province.
Hanwha is the nation’s biggest solar cell maker, with the business supervised by group Chairman Kim Seung-youn’s first son, Dong-kwan.
Hanwha is the latest in a string of conglomerates to unveil large-scale investment plans for startups in non-Seoul areas, in line with President Park’s pet project.
The group will also spend 153 billion won ($140 million) nurturing tech startups in South Chungcheon Province, helping their overseas expansion.
Hanwha Chemical, Hanwha Q Cells and Hanwha Life will launch education and training programs for promising entrepreneurs there.
Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and many other big companies have joined the campaign, making lavish investments to nurture startups in their assigned regions — Samsung is assigned to Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, Hyundai Motor to Gwangju and SK to Daejeon and Sejong, among others.
“I believe the project will play an important role in boosting the economy of South Chungcheong Province and its competitiveness as a whole,” President Park said during the launch ceremony for the Hanwha-driven campaign at its control office in Cheonan, one of the biggest cities in the province.
“There are many industrial bases in this region, including Cheonan, Asan, Seosan and Dangjin. As a leader in the domestic solar energy business, Hanwha will be able to turn these areas into the nation’s solar business hub. At the same time, it will establish systematic ways to help exports of products from the cluster,” Park said.
Nearly 150 people attended the ceremony, including Hanwha Chairman Kim; South Chungcheong Province Governor Ahn Hee-jung; Science, ICT and Future Planning Minister Choi Yang-hee; Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lee Dong-phil and Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jick.
“I will go overseas with CEOs of successful startups so that they will have an opportunity to export their products or services,” Park said.
She also highlighted the importance of solar energy to the economy.
“Our economy still heavily relies on imported energy sources,” she said. “Development of advanced technologies on renewable energy will give the economy a big boost.”
The President called agricultural products a “growth driver” of the province.
“These products will better appeal to customers if farmers team up with universities and labs to launch creative marketing and promotion campaigns,” she said.