Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Extreme heat, flooding, wildfires – Colorado’s formerly incarcerated people on the hazards they faced behind bars 
The UK is surprisingly short of water – but more reservoirs aren’t the answer 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile 
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound 
Australia’s December Trade Surplus Expands but Falls Short of Expectations 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Oriental Brewery (OB) is leading the way towards sustainability by integrating solar power panels at its Gwangju production facilities, becoming the first Gwangju brewery to harness green energy for beer production.
Installing solar power panels is part of OB's commitment to its RE100 plan, which aims to transition to renewable energy sources. RE100 is a global initiative encouraging companies to convert 100 percent of their electricity consumption to renewable energy.
Completing the photovoltaic facility at the Gwangju plant marks a significant milestone for OB. It is expected to serve as a springboard for the company to achieve its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy by 2025.
OB's CEO, Ben Verhaert, expressed optimism about the transition, stating, "As a leading ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) company in the liquor industry, we will not only implement a renewable energy provision plan at a rapid pace but also actively respond to the climate crisis by advancing our eco-friendly management."
The solar panels installed at the Gwangju plant have a total capacity of 2.6 megawatts, producing 3.7 gigawatts of electricity annually. This equals about 11 percent of the plant's current power consumption. Using solar energy, OB estimates a yearly reduction of approximately 1,709 tons of carbon emissions in Gwangju alone.
OB plans to adopt solar panels at its two other plants in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, by the first quarter of 2024.
Once the installation of solar power generation facilities at OB's three plants is completed, the company expects to generate approximately 10 gigawatts per hour of solar energy annually. This amount is projected to replace 11 percent of the company's total power consumption in South Korea.
In addition to the green initiative, OB recently achieved recognition for its global quality standards. The International Taste Institute honored OB Beer's seven brands, including Cass Fresh, Hite, Cass Light, Cass 0.0, Cass White, OB Lager, and OMG. The brands collectively received 13 stars, affirming their superior taste and quality.
Photo: BENCE BOROS/Unsplash
