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| OB CEO Ben Verhaert, third from left, poses with company officials in front of solar panels installed at a company plant in Gwangju, Monday. Courtesy of OB |
By Kim Jae-heun
Oriental Brewery (OB) has installed solar power panels at its production facilities in Gwangju to produce beer with green energy, becoming the first local brewer to do so, the company said Tuesday.
The company is pushing for its renewable energy transition through the installation of solar power panels as part of its RE100 plan. RE100 is a global initiative that pledges to convert 100 percent of the electricity used by a company into renewable energy.
"The completion of the photovoltaic facility at Gwangju plant is expected to serve as a springboard for OB to convert 100 percent of electricity use into renewable energy by 2025. As a leading ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) company in the liquor industry, we will not only implement a renewable energy provision plan at a rapid pace, but also actively respond to the climate crisis by advancing our eco-friendly management," OB CEO Ben Verhaert said.
The total capacity of the installed solar panels at the Gwangju plant is 2.6 megawatts, which can produce 3.7 gigawatts annually. This amount can replace about 11 percent of the power used at its plant currently. OB said the solar energy produced can reduce the generation of carbon by about 1,709 tons per year in Gwangju.
OB also plans to adopt solar panels at its two plants in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province and in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, by the first quarter of 2024.
When the construction of solar power generation facilities at OB's three plants is completed, the company will generate about 10 gigawatts per hour of solar energy annually, which is expected to replace 11 percent, which is the company's total power consumption in the country.
