Gwangyang Steelworks, Government, Local Governments, and Industry Join Hands to Overcome Drought

Gwangyang Steelworks Collaborates with Private, Public, and Government Sectors to Reduce Water Demand by 10%

Utilizing Alternative Water Resources Such as Seawater Desalination Facilities

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Heo Seonsik] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Jinsu) announced that it has formalized efforts to overcome the situation in Jeonnam region, which is suffering from ongoing drought, and to secure sustainable water resources by signing a water-saving and drought-overcoming business agreement with the government, related organizations, and the industry.

The business agreement ceremony held on the afternoon of the 14th at the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation Jeonnam Regional Headquarters was attended by institutions and companies closely related to water use in the Jeonnam region, including Gwangyang Steelworks, Jeollanam-do Province, Gwangyang City, Yeosu City, Korea Water Resources Corporation, Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, and the Yeosu Industrial Complex Plant Managers' Council.

Gwangyang Steelworks Seawater Desalination Facility [Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks]

This agreement is significant in that it formalizes cooperation among major local companies, local governments (hereinafter referred to as local governments), and related organizations to proactively respond to the ongoing drought problem in the Jeonnam region, establishing a public-private-government cooperative system to continuously reduce water demand and discover alternative water resources such as seawater desalination.

Previously, the government and local governments in the Jeonnam region have requested cooperation from large corporations and industrial complexes located in the Gwangyang Bay area since last year to prepare countermeasures for reducing water demand to resolve the severe drought problem.

Gwangyang Steelworks recognized that the drought situation is a serious crisis for our local community and actively responded to such community requests by devising and implementing various water-saving measures at the Gwangyang Steelworks level.

First, it is operating its own seawater desalination facility with a daily production capacity of 30,000 tons at maximum capacity to reduce dam water usage. This is meaningful as it has laid the groundwork for discovering sustainable water resources in the future through securing alternative water resources such as seawater desalination facilities.

Additionally, it encourages all employees to practice water saving in their daily lives by utilizing internal bulletin boards and banners.

As a result, in January of this year, it achieved visible results by reducing the average daily water usage from Su-eo Dam, the main water supply source for Gwangyang Steelworks, by 25,000 tons compared to last year, thereby making a practical contribution to overcoming the drought.

At the agreement ceremony, Lee Jinsu, Director of Gwangyang Steelworks, emphasized, “The drought situation in the Jeonnam region affects all stakeholders in the local community, and our Gwangyang Steelworks shares the sense of crisis. We will take the lead in water-saving activities so that Jeollanam-do can wisely overcome the dry season this year.”