Samsung Sets Goal To Attain 100% Clean Energy By 2050

Kim Tong Hyung for the Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics is moving away from fossil fuels and aims to run its global operations entirely on clean electricity by 2050, a move that experts say may be hampered by South Korea's modest promises on climate change.

South Korea's Samsung is one of the leading manufacturers of memory chips for computers and smartphones and, by some estimates, is the largest energy consumer among hundreds of companies around the world that have joined the "RE100" campaign to get 100% of the own electricity from renewable sources. Sources. wind or sun

Announcing its goal on Thursday, the company said it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions in its mobile devices, display panels and consumer electronics divisions by 2030 and in all global operations, including semiconductors, by 2030. 2050.

It plans to invest 7 trillion won ($ 5 trillion) by 2030 to reduce process gas emissions, control and recycle electronic waste, conserve water and reduce pollutants. It plans to develop new technologies to reduce energy consumption in consumer electronics and data centers, which would require more efficient memory chips. It will also set long-term goals to reduce emissions in supply chains and logistics.

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"Samsung is responding to the threats of climate change with a comprehensive plan to reduce emissions, new sustainability practices, and develop innovative technologies and products that are better for our planet," company CEO Jong-Hee Han said in a statement. By email.

Samsung's plan has received praise from some of its investors, including Dutch pension fund manager APG, who said the company could make a "significant contribution" to cleaning up South Korea's electricity market, given its impact. and impact on the national economy.

But APG also expressed concern that Samsung's announcement comes at a time when South Korea has pulled out of its climate change goals.

President Yoon Seok-yeol's conservative government, which took office in May, has focused much of its energy policy on promoting nuclear-powered electricity.

Desperate to revive the weakening economy, the Yoon government has also been reluctant to significantly reduce the country's dependence on coal and gas, which generate about 65 percent of South Korea's electricity.

South Korea obtained 7.5% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2021, well below the 30% average of the rich countries that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Yoon government recently revised the country's renewable energy target to 21% of the total energy mix by 2030, easing the 30% target announced by its liberal predecessor Moon Jae-in.

Samsung has admitted that it will be more difficult to switch to renewable electricity sources at home than its overseas operations, as it aims to achieve 100% clean energy by 2027.

said Yoo Kyung Park, director of investment and responsible management of Asia Pacific at APG. He said in a statement.

Samsung, the largest in South Korea, is under increasing pressure to do more to reduce its carbon emissions as it lags behind its peers when it comes to climate commitments. These companies include Apple, a major purchaser of Samsung chips, which joined RE100 in 2016 and plans to become carbon neutral across the manufacturing and trading chain by 2030, prompting its suppliers to meet those requirements.

Samsung is the flagship of an export-driven economy powered by the manufacturing of semiconductors, automobiles, display panels, cell phones and ships, industries that tend to be energy-intensive.

Samsung used 25.8 TWh of electricity for its operations last year, nearly double the amount of all households in the South Korean capital Seoul, and more than other global tech giants like Google, Apple, Meta , Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor. manufacturing company. .

Jin-Woo Sam of Seoul Renewable Energy Corporation said Samsung's move to clean electricity could have significant effects on the supply chain, prompting other companies to increase renewable energy supply.

"Most importantly, Samsung's commitment to the RE100 sends a strong signal to the renewable energy market and policymakers to increase the supply of renewable energy given the company's high electricity consumption," said Jin.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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