Lee Ho-hyun, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Energy, visited Washington, D.C. to enhance Korea-U.S. energy security cooperation and expand public-private partnerships.
According to the Ministry, Lee attended the 70th anniversary conference of the Korea-U.S. Nuclear Agreement, the Global Energy Forum, and the Korea-U.S. Energy Business Forum from June 8 to 10.
The visit aimed to address the rising electricity demand driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and the semiconductor industry, while expanding the foundation for energy cooperation between Korea and the U.S. As electricity demand surges due to the expansion of AI data centers and advanced industries, ensuring stable power supply and securing critical minerals have emerged as key energy security challenges.
In his keynote speech at the 10th Global Energy Forum on June 9, Lee noted that the increase in electricity demand from the proliferation of AI data centers and advanced industries has made grid resilience, energy storage systems (ESS), and critical mineral supply chains essential components of energy security.
He introduced the government's energy security strategy, which includes proactive investment in national power grids, expansion of large-scale ESS, introduction of long-term contracts and flexible markets, restructuring power governance, and strengthening international cooperation for critical mineral supply chains.
On the final day of his visit, June 10, Lee co-hosted the Korea-U.S. Energy Business Forum with the U.S. Department of Energy. Participants included domestic companies such as Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea Water Resources Corporation, LG Energy Solution, and Doosan Enerbility, as well as U.S. firms like JPMorgan, ExxonMobil, and GE Vernova, who discussed energy investments and collaboration on power grids and ESS.
Lee also visited Equinix, a global data center company in Virginia, to review strategies for addressing electricity demand from AI data centers and enhancing operational efficiency.
"Through this visit, we aim to elevate the 70-year Korea-U.S. nuclear alliance to an energy and industrial alliance, establishing a foundation for public-private cooperation where companies from both countries can invest and collaborate together," Lee said. "We will translate the discussed outcomes into concrete cooperative projects."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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