POSCO Gwangyang Works obtains green data center certificiation

POSCO Gwangyang Works, one of the two pillar steel mills of POSCO Holdings Inc. together with Pohang Works, obtained a Green Data Center Bronze Grade Certification from the Korea Data Center Council (KDCC) in recognition of their energy efficiency efforts, South Korea's steel-making giant said on Wednesday.

The Gwangyang Works scored high marks on power usage effectiveness (PUE), a numerical measure of how efficiently power is used, and activities toward improving energy efficiency.

KDCC's ratings comprise four stages: platinum, gold, silver, and bronze. So far, it has certified 23 data centers in Korea, including three platinum, four gold, four silver, and 12 bronze recipients.

To enhance the energy efficiency of the Gwangyang data center, POSCO introduced new cooling methods in major computer equipment such as server rooms that use a significant amount of power, based on electricity-free cooling water, and applying air ventilation.

It also adopted a direct water supply method to cool the building in parallel with the existing water pumping method, reducing power loss by minimizing pump operation.

In particular, it optimized the circulation pump, which was used to supply water for maintaining the constant temperature and humidity of the building, in a way to supply water flexibly depending on the amount of use, breaking away from the practice of supplying the same amount of water throughout the year.

Air conditioners for ventilation purposes were also applied to the computer room to save electricity usage.

POSCO expects to reduce annual electricity consumption by 230,000 kWh through the effort.

"This certification reflects POSCO's willingness and effort toward carbon neutrality," said Park Jin-soo, head of POSCO's Digital Innovation Office.

"We will continue to improve energy efficiency so that Pohang Data Center can also get the certification next year," he added.
 
Write to Kyung-Min Kang at kkm1026@hankyung.com