In a bid to reduce carbon emissions, a unit of Samsung C&T Corp has decided to develop solar power plants near a chip factory in Milam, Texas. The company has set the target of 2023 and aims to sell the electricity generated by plants. According to reports, these plants will be set up at the cost of USD 673 million. The plant in the US states of Texas will at less than two hours’ drive from Austin where it has a chip factory. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is planning to build another factory there that will cost USD 17 billion. The construction of the solar power plants is expected to begin in June 2022. Once completed, they will combinedly generate around 700 megawatts of electricity.
A Samsung C&T official was quoted as saying by media reports that Samsung Renewable Energy is already in the process of getting approval from the state. The company had announced in October that it would halt all coal-related projects and investments. Several companies are shifting focus from fossil fuels to a renewable source of energy. This is why the demand for wind and solar power has increased in the recent past. The Biden administration has already hinted that it wants all of the required power consumption of the country to come from non-carbon emitting sources by 2035. They have the options of nuclear and renewable energy to explore.
Some of the big chipmakers such as Samsung, and Intel Corp have pledged to take necessary measures to reduce their carbon footprint by using renewable energy. Research suggests that chip manufacturing is the biggest contributor to carbon. This is because the process requires a large amount of energy along with different kinds of chemicals and gases. Many chipmakers had to suspend the production of chips earlier this year. This was because of the winter storm that resulted in a power outage in Texas.
