NAVER Announces Roadmap to Go ‘Carbon Negative’ by 2040
NAVER Announces Roadmap to Go ‘Carbon Negative’ by 2040
- NAVER commits to phasing in 100% renewable energy use to achieve its goal of ‘2040 Carbon Negative,’ 10 years ahead of the Republic of Korea’s 2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy
- As 99% of greenhouse gases come from electricity use, NAVER plans to expand high-efficiency, energy-reduction technologies in its office building and internet data centers, and source more renewable energy with power purchase agreements (PPA)
2021-05-28
NAVER Corporation (KRX: 035420) today announced a detailed action plan to achieve its goal of ‘2040 Carbon Negative’ by gradually expanding its use of renewable energy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
As NAVER builds a second internet data center (IDC) to handle rising digitalization, it expects its electricity usage to rise as well, which can result in higher greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, a primary contributor to climate change. So, NAVER has prepared a roadmap to proactively reduce its carbon emissions through environmental, social and governance (ESG) management.
“As an internet company with world-class ESG management, NAVER will join the global trend of scaling up renewable energy usage by implementing a comprehensive roadmap toward achieving a carbon-neutral society,” said Dong-a Lim, leader of NAVER’s Environment Department.
In line with its roadmap, NAVER will replace 60% of the electricity used in its IDCs and headquarters with renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal by 2030, and continuously increase its usage until it is 100% converted by 2040. Scaling up renewable energy while phasing out energy from high-carbon fossil fuels is the key to reducing emissions.
NAVER plans to improve power plant efficiency and reduce energy while incorporating solar power at its first headquarters, known as ‘Green Factory’, and first data center, ‘Gak Chuncheon’. The company plans to maximize the use of geothermal and solar power at its second headquarters, due to be constructed in 2021. In addition, it will implement a low-emissions, outdoor air-cooling system at its second IDC, ‘Gak Sejong’, scheduled to open in 2023.
By using eco-friendly energy sources as well as investing in decarbonizing technologies and powerplants, NAVER plans to achieve ‘carbon negative’ ten years ahead of the Republic of Korea’s 2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy.
NAVER plans to increase the Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to promote renewable energy usage within the company as well as the expansion of facilities that can generate/process renewable energy within South Korea. Through this investment, the company will contribute to the development of renewable energy for a more sustainable future.
Moreover, NAVER is promoting a company-wide environmental management policy to get ISO14001 certification which is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system.
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