Asia/Pacific News
ABS Opens South Korea Energy Tech Centre
Marine technology firm ABS says it has opened a new centre in South Korea to develop technology for the country's offshore and energy industries.
The ABS Korea Energy Technology Center (KETC) in Busan, South Korea, will allow company researchers to work with local industry, universities, and government to develop new concepts in areas including offshore surface and subsea systems, oil and gas exploration and production, liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology, renewable energy, alternative fuels, and environmental efficiency.
The facility is ABS's first global energy center, but its researchers will have access to resources at the company's global technology headquarters in Houston as well as its other technology centres elsewhere in the world.
"Korea's yards are at the forefront of the global shipbuilding industry, and I believe the vision and initiative that have made Korea a leader in the marine industry can be similarly applied in other areas of specialization," said ABS President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki.
"ABS wants to join its resources with the drive, energy and technical capabilities of the Korean people."
The opening of the new centre comes as the Korean government is putting new effort into the development of offshore energy resources.
"It is the right time to establish the Korea Energy Technology Center, and I believe the goals of the center will be very much welcomed by Korean industries and academia," said Professor Sang-Rai Cho, president of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea.
South Korea, which was recently picked to host the United Nations' Green Climate Fund, has been working to develop its green technology industry.
The government has pledged to double emissions reduction targets for industrial and power sectors next year and has begun construction on the world's biggest fuel cell park, the UK-based science and technology publication Energy Efficiency News reports.
