2023.07.05
Posco vows to invest W121tr for next big leap
By Shim Woo-hyun , The Korea Herald - Posco
Group announced Monday that it will invest 121 trillion won ($93 billion) by
2030 to step up as a global leader in eco-friendly materials.
The new investment
plan was announced during a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of
Posco’s first steel mill set up in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1973.
“With the
investment, (the group) will secure future technologies, stay ahead in the
growing industries and work toward a sustainable future through green
materials,” Posco Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said at the ceremony.
Under the plan,
Posco said it will consolidate its leadership in the steel manufacturing
business while seeking aggressive expansion of its burgeoning battery materials
and hydrogen businesses.
The steel giant’s
hydrogen push, especially its wider adoption throughout the steelmaking
process, will help the group become carbon neutral by 2050, the group stressed.
The Posco chief
added that over 60 percent of the planned investment, or 73 trillion won, will
be spent in boosting its Korean operations in Pohang, Gwangyang in South Jeolla
Province and other regions, for balanced regional development and the creation
of new jobs at home.
The group said its
domestic investment alone is expected to generate a production inducement
effect of 121 trillion won per year and create some 330,000 new jobs a year
through 2030.
Monday’s ceremony
was also attended by Posco Group Vice Chairman Kim Hak-dong, North Gyeongsang
Province Gov. Lee Cheol-woo, Pohang Mayor Lee Kang-deok and other officials
from Posco and local government.
Posco started the
construction project for its first steel mill in April 1970. A total of 120
billion won was injected to build 22 manufacturing facilities that paved the
way for the growth of the nation’s heavy industries, including shipmaking and
automobile production. The facilities also helped drastically reduce the
nation’s huge dependency on steel imports at the time.
“Construction of the
first mill in Pohang was a historical turnaround in the country’s economy,”
Choi said.
"As much as its
steel business has helped Korea boost its economic development, Posco Group
will continue to nurture its major businesses, involving steel, secondary
battery materials and hydrogen, to step up as a global business leader that can
contribute to the sustainable future of humanity.”
Source: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230703000693&np=2&mp=1