Three New Institutions Join CF Alliance... 'Global Task Force' Launches in First Half of This Year

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the CF Alliance announced on the 28th that they held the 2024 CF Alliance Regular General Meeting and Roundtable at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, attended by First Vice Minister Kang Kyung-sung.

The CF Alliance is a private cooperative organization promoting the CFE Initiative, a global campaign aimed at accelerating carbon neutrality by broadly utilizing various carbon-free energies (CFE) such as renewable energy, hydrogen, and nuclear power in accordance with the circumstances of companies and industries. It was launched in October of the same year following President Yoon Seok-yeol's speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023.

On October 27, 2023, the CF Alliance inauguration ceremony was held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, attended by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the 20 CF Alliance member companies attending the meeting agreed that in order for the domestic industry, which faces difficulties in reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to various conditions, to achieve both carbon neutrality and industrial competitiveness, a foundation must be established to enable the use of diverse carbon-free energies tailored to corporate circumstances.

The member companies emphasized the importance of the CFE Initiative gaining support from countries around the world and spreading internationally, urging the government and the CF Alliance to actively engage in cooperative activities with major overseas countries and institutions.

First Vice Minister Kang Kyung-sung stated, "We aim to launch a 'global task force' involving major countries within the first half of this year to establish internationally applicable CFE implementation standards," adding, "We will ensure that the demands of our companies in areas such as electricity usage and production processes are actively reflected in global implementation standards, and we will also promote strengthened cooperation with key overseas institutions such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the European Union (EU) Energy, and the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA), in addition to major governments."

Meanwhile, on the occasion of this regular general meeting, three organizations?the Korea Data Center Energy Efficiency Association, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, and FITI Testing & Research Institute?joined the CF Alliance as new members. The CF Alliance announced plans to actively expand domestic member companies and open its doors to overseas companies and institutions starting in the second half of this year.

As of February 2024, the CF Alliance members include 20 companies: LG Chem, Hanwha Solutions, Hanwha Impact, Yeochun NCC, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hyundai Motor Company, POSCO, Korea Zinc, GS Energy, Doosan Enerbility, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea Energy Agency, Hydrogen Convergence Alliance, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel, LS Electric, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Testing Laboratory for Machinery, Electrical and Electronics, and Korea Industrial Technology Testing Institute.