Korea’s “Energy Highway” Should Expand Across the Asia-Pacific

[Seoul, April 17, 2025] – Energy IT social venture 60Hertz (Jongkyu Kim, CEO) announced that it attended the 4th Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam from April 15 to 17, where it discussed potential cooperation with Petrovietnam (PVN), the country’s largest state-owned energy corporation.

At the meeting, Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of PVN's Power and Renewable Energy Division, participated in the discussion. CEO Kim remarked, “Although SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Jeonghee Son’s Asia Super Grid proposal underscored a critical vision, progress has been slow due to its hardware-centric approach, such as building transmission infrastructure.” He added, “We believe that a software-driven approach—like trading renewable energy certificates (RECs or REGOs) used by RE100 companies—can offer tangible results without the need for physical interconnection.”

Kim further emphasized the need to redefine the energy transition paradigm to reflect emerging technologies and business models, including electric vehicles, energy storage systems (ESS), and hydrogen production and transport. He also cited Korea’s long-standing discussion on the concept of an “Energy Highway” as a relevant reference.

Participants expressed keen interest in 60Hertz’s collaboration with PV Power, a power generation subsidiary of PVN, through KOICA’s CTS-TIPS Program. They noted that the energy IT services under development could serve as a promising model for international cooperation.

CEO Kim stated, “This new service will become a testing ground for cutting-edge technologies like AI and blockchain. Instead of relying solely on traditional hardware stakeholders, we believe that empowering the younger generation with strong IT capabilities in both countries will lead to more creative and effective solutions.”

Founded in 2021, 60Hertz gained national attention after unveiling Korea’s first Virtual Power Plant, connecting over 130,000 solar, wind, and ESS units, which earned the company the Presidential Award. Since then, it has continued to expand its energy data services, including the launch of the “Renewable Energy Map”, a free visualization platform powered by AI-based forecasts of output from more than 80,000 renewable power plants (total capacity: 18GW). The company’s proprietary Energy Management System (EMS) received a CES Innovation Award in 2023, and in 2024, 60Hertz was named one of the Top 100 Climate Tech Companies in the Asia-Pacific by the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

Meanwhile, 60Hertz has established a new subsidiary, Goodnews Energy, to advance its B2B energy transition services and launch a new business model aimed at supporting energy-vulnerable communities. The company plans to roll out services in three countries—including the U.S. and Vietnam—by the end of 2025.