LS

Future agriculture suggested by LS Mtron: Carbon Free Agriculture(CFA)

■ The objectives are to build a resource circulation economy, vitalize dispersion energy, and achieve carbon neutrality.
■ The goal is to build a mega biogas plant that produces various new/renewable energy such as electricity, biogas, green hydrogen, and natural fertilizers such as liquid fertilizer*,compost* using organic waste.
■ The CEO of LS Mtron Jae-ho Shin states, “LS Mtron will introduce a new paradigm as it shifts from the agricultural machinery business to agricultural industry-related businesses through this new project,” and adds, “We hope that Korea can secure energy in the future like the energy-independent towns in Europe through our biogas plant projects.”
 

On December 28, the LS Group’s industrial machinery and advanced parts manufacturer LS Mtron (CEO Jae-ho Shin) announced that the company had signed a business partnership MOU for the ‘New/Renewable Energy Convergence Project in the Agricultural and Livestock Industries’ for a biogas plant project in partnership with Korea East-West Power, the Livestock Environmental Management Institute, and Sungwoo.

This MOU signing ceremony took place at the LS Tower in Anyang on December 28 with around 30 people in attendance, including the CEO of Korea East-West Power Yeong-moon Kim, director of the Livestock Environmental Management Institute Hong-gil Moon, CEO of Sungwoo Doh-heon Lee, and CEO of LS Mtron Jae-ho Shin. The ceremony took place with the goals of building a resource circulation economy, vitalizing dispersion energy, and achieving carbon neutrality by developing and promoting a biogas plant business model based on exchange and cooperation involving the resources of the respective companies.
 

This MOU contains details pertaining to mutual cooperation for the following goals: Developing, building, utilizing, and supplying the infrastructure for biogas plant projects, developing new/renewable energy (solar power, fuel cells, hydrogen, etc.) projects, building biogas plants, providing operational know-how, supporting plant operation, establishment of concepts, and development of policies for future new/renewable energy convergence business models, and vitalizing eco-friendly technology R&D and new/renewable energy convergence projects in rural areas.

The importance of eco-friendly energy is emerging with the rapid deterioration of the global climate. Response to global climate change and acquisition of cheap energy are major roadblocks in the realization of RE100* in Korea, where energy export is a major business. At the New Year’s greetings and vision announcement ceremony at the beginning of this year, chairman of the LS Group Ja-eun Koo declared his vision of becoming a key partner in leading the Carbon Free Electricity (CFE) campaign and future industries based on ‘Vision 2030’. Chairman Koo emphasized, “The mass transition into the era of CFE will be a tremendous growth opportunity for our group to focus on the electricity and energy industries.”

As a part of the LS Group’s Vision 2030, LS Mtron is aiming to build a mega biogas plant producing various new/renewable energy such as electricity, biogas, and green hydrogen, as well as natural fertilizers such as liquid fertilizer* and compost* using organic waste based on its infrastructure and experience within the agricultural industry.

Biogas is an eco-friendly methane gas that comes from the decomposition of organic waste such as livestock manure and it is a combination of methane and carbondioxide. Developed countries are already utilizing biogas plants to achieve energy independence, while the number of biogas plants in the private sector in Korea is less than 10 and the ratio of eco-friendly energy produced using biogas is also lackluster. The biogas plant market using pig manure and food waste is estimated to be worth approximately 1.8 trillion won.
  

LS Mtron is planning to establish a Special Purpose Company (SPC) for biogas production in partnership with Korea East-West Power and Sungwoo to jointly respond to the development of government policies and the biogas plant industry.

The CEO of LS Mtron Jae-ho Shin stated, “LS Mtron will introducea new paradigm as it shifts from the agricultural machinery business to agricultural industry-related businesses through this new project,” and added, “We hope that Korea can secure energy in the future like the energy-independent towns in Europe through ourbiogas plant projects.”
 

[Definition of Terms]
*RE100: An acronym for renewable electricity and an international campaign with the goal of supplying 100% of the electricity used by companies through renewable energy such as wind and solar power by 2050 
*Liquid fertilizer: Fertilizer in liquid form
*Compost: Fertilizer created from decomposed grass, straw, or livestock feces