Gov't to invest 6 tln won in green energy

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- The government plans to invest 6 trillion won (US$4.37
billion) in the next four years to close the technology gap with advanced
countries in the green energy sector, officials said Thursday.

Under the plan, the government and 73 local companies will support 15 key sectors
to drastically boost domestic knowhow, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
The sectors include the solar and nuclear energy sectors, wind power, greenhouse
gas absorption, hightech energy storage and batteries.
"At present, the country's knowhow in these fields stands at around 50-85 percent
of leading countries, a figure that can be pushed up to levels approaching the
leading countries by 2012," said Vice Energy Minister Ahn Chul-shik.
He said that once this level is reached, South Korea will try to reach parity or
exceed other countries by 2030.
Local conglomerates including Samsung Electronics Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and LG
Electronics are to join the effort along with POSCO, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.
and Doosan Heavy Industry and Construction Co.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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