The petrochemical industry, which emits the second largest greenhouse gas emission among domestic manufacturing industries, has united for ‘2050 carbon neutrality.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 9th that the SK Environmental Science and Technology Research Institute held the’Petrochemical Carbon Zero Committee Inauguration Ceremony’ to promote carbon neutrality and strengthen public-private communication.
At the event, Dong-jun Moon, President of Korea Petrochemical Association (President of Kumho Petrochemical), SK Global Chemical, Hanwha Total Petrochemical, Lotte Chemical, and LG Chem.[051910]Major companies of petrochemical naphtha cracking facility (NCC), such as Yeocheon NCC, and academics and experts attended.
Vice Minister Park Jin-gyu of the Ministry of Industry said, “Petrochemical is urgent to develop eco-friendly manufacturing technologies that can utilize hydrogen, carbon, bio, new renewable energy, and plastics as raw materials and fuels more than other industries.” We will plan a business and actively support it.”
Petrochemicals emit about 71 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, and among the domestic manufacturing industries, petrochemical is the second largest greenhouse gas emission sector after steel. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is generated in the process of burning by-product gas from the pyrolysis process of naphtha, a raw material, as fuel.
On this day, companies announced and shared the status of carbon neutrality promotion.
LG Chem declared the industry’s first ‘2050 carbon-neutral growth’ in July last year, and plans to promote RE100 (a campaign to cover 100% of the power used by renewable energy) for all business sites.
Lotte Chemical, which declared ‘2030 carbon-neutral growth’, announced a growth target of 6 trillion won in the eco-friendly sector by 2030.
SK Global Chemical will increase the proportion of eco-friendly products to more than 70% by 2025, and Yeocheon NCC plans to invest in continuous facility and process improvement for energy efficiency.
Hanwha Total Petrochemical is reviewing detailed implementation plans in line with France Total’s 2050 Net Zero Declaration.
The industry suggested to the government that it is necessary to expand R&D support and deduct investment tax in order to preemptively introduce technologies for expanding petrochemical fuels and raw materials, which are still in the R&D stage.
In addition, they requested that companies selected as excellent workplaces by participating in the’voluntary energy efficiency target system’ should expand incentives such as tax cuts.
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