Photograph) VIPs including LS Group Chairman Ja-Eun Koo (seventh from the left) and LS C&S CEO Bon-Kyu Koo (eighth from the left) attending the GL2030 Launch Ceremony hosted by LS C&S.

■ Enhancement of construction capacity, the endgame of the submarine cable industry
■ LS Group Chairman Ja-Eun Koo: “We are setting out to grow into a global energy solution enterprise”
■ Assigned to integration of Southwest Sea power system and anticipated participation in projects overseas
 

LS C&S announced that a launch ceremony for Korea’s first submarine power cable laying vessel, GL2030, took place on April 21 at Donghae Port in Gangwon-do, where the submarine cable factory of LS Cable & System (LS C&S) is located.
 
There are only a few companies with submarine production and construction capabilities in the world, and these companies are limited to a few in Europe. Submarine construction capability is referred to as the “endgame” in the submarine cable industry.
 
LS Group Chairman Ja-Eun Koo, LS Corp. CEO Roh-hyun Myung, LS C&S CEO Bon-Kyu Koo, Deputy Mayor of Donghae-si Sang-yeong Kim, and Donghae City Council Chairperson Ki-ha Kim were present at the launch ceremony.
 
LS C&S is planning to enhance its submarine cable construction capacity and preemptively prepare for the offshore wind power business, which is growing rapidly every year, in Korea and overseas. GL2030 will be used in domestic projects in the first half of this year, and is anticipated to participate in overseas construction projects in the future.
 
The company said, “We have had many difficulties in the past in terms of scheduling, etc., because we rented cable laying vessels from overseas. Directly operating a cable laying vessel will reduce construction time and also improve the accumulation and expertise of our construction know-how in the future.”
 
In his speech at the launch ceremony, Chairman Koo said, “LS C&S will embark on a journey to grow into a global energy solution enterprise as a world-class submarine cable manufacturer equipped with submarine construction capabilities,” adding, “We will contribute to the transmission of renewable energy and build an efficient energy network to enhance national competitiveness, while also playing a significant role in solving global environmental issues.”
 
GL2030 is equipped with a system that can precisely adjust and control the vessel’s location. Through this, accuracy is improved when laying cables, and the vessel can be operated stably even with changes in the environment such as strong winds and high tides.
 
GL2030 will be assigned to connecting a submarine cable spanning approximately 7 km between Hwawon-myeon, Haenam-gun and Anjwa-do, Sinan-gun in Jeollanam-do, Korea for a month starting in May. This is a system integration to transmit power generated from an offshore wind power plant in the Southwest Sea to the mainland in the future.
 
Over the past 3 years, LS C&S has obtained the submarine cable supplier rights for offshore wind power worth KRW 800 billion in Asia, and also concluded a supplier agreement worth KRW 350 billion in North America earlier this year. As the company continues to receive large-scale orders from overseas, it is anticipating being able to participate in overseas construction projects in the future.