Energy Corporation, Solar Power and ESS Desalination Demonstration Project
'P4G Next-Generation Promising Partnership' Award
Exterior view of the Korea Energy Agency headquarters located in Jung-gu, Ulsan. (Photo by Korea Energy Agency)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Korea Energy Agency announced on the 28th that the solar power and energy storage system (ESS) desalination demonstration project, jointly developed with the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), received the grand prize in the "Up and Coming Partnership" category of the "2020 State-of-the-Art Partnership Awards" under the "Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 (P4G)."
This award recognizes innovative and tangible achievements through public-private partnerships selected and honored by P4G. P4G (Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030) is an international alliance accelerating the achievement of global goals such as green growth, sustainable development, and the Paris Agreement through public-private partnerships involving corporations and civil society.
The Energy Agency signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for inter-agency cooperation with ADEME in 2016 and has jointly promoted policy and technology exchanges.
Subsequently, the two agencies held workshops twice in 2017 and 2018, identifying mutual strengths in the ESS sector linked to renewable energy and confirming the need for cooperation.
As a result, the two agencies developed a project to supply desalinated water using solar ESS in the Mekong River basin in Vietnam. This project involves installing solar power and ESS to supply power for brackish water desalination facilities at the Mekong River estuary. Since the Mekong River basin is an area facing difficulties in securing domestic water supply, this project was recognized as an eco-friendly initiative aligned with P4G's objectives.
In this project, South Korea's LG Electronics is responsible for the battery-based ESS, and Sinophex handles the brackish water and desalination facilities. France's LEVISYS manufactures the flywheel ESS. South Korea produces 4.5 kW of solar power and 12.8 kWh of battery ESS, while France produces 4.5 kW of solar power and 10?15 kWh of flywheel ESS capacity.
Korean companies began constructing the facilities in September last year and completed them in December of the same year. LEVISYS's flywheel ESS installation was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is planned to be integrated by January next year.
According to the Energy Agency, this project was recognized not only for its innovation but also for strengthening the cooperative relationship between the South Korean and French governments.
The agency explained that it is an excellent case of discovering a joint overseas expansion model for large and small-to-medium enterprises based on Korea-France government-to-government (G2G) cooperation. It holds dual significance in terms of Korea-France cooperation and the concurrent growth of domestic companies.
An official from the Energy Agency stated, "Building on this award, we plan to diversify support models for companies' overseas expansion through international cooperation and continuously promote overseas projects based on public-private cooperation by closely collaborating with various participants to create successful models."
In addition, the agency has been actively promoting various public-private overseas projects such as the modernization of aging power plants in Uzbekistan, streetlight efficiency improvement projects in Vietnam, and electric vehicle distribution activation projects in Cambodia.
Kim Changseop, Director of the Energy Agency, said, "We have recently impressed the world with the 'KOREA' brand through excellent responses to the COVID-19 crisis. We will strive to expand the trust gained for South Korea during these difficult times into climate change response projects to activate the overseas expansion of domestic companies."
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