孫正義“超級電網(wǎng)”計劃獲韓國支持

Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son’s ambitious plan for a north-east Asian energy “super grid” has been given a boost after winning the backing of the head of South Korea’s state-run energy group.

日本億萬富翁孫正義(Masayoshi Son)雄心勃勃的東北亞能源“超級電網(wǎng)”計劃，在贏得了韓國國有能源集團掌門人的支持之后得到了提振。

Cho Hwan-eik, Kepco chief executive, on Thursday hailed the project as going “beyond economics”, saying it had the potential to ease the region’s persistent tensions. “We have carried out a preliminary feasibility study on the project and concluded that it is feasible economically and technically,” he said.

韓國電力公社(Kepco)社長趙煥益(Cho Hwan-eik)周四贊揚該項目“超越經(jīng)濟范疇”，稱該項目或許能夠緩解該地區(qū)持續(xù)的緊張局勢。“我們對該項目進行了初步的可行性研究，得出的結(jié)論是該項目在經(jīng)濟上和技術(shù)上都是可行的，”他說。

The plan to connect the electricity networks of South Korea, China, Japan, Mongolia and Russia is ostensibly aimed at bolstering the region’s energy security. But it has also been championed in recent months by Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s new president, as a foundation for deeper regional economic and security integration.

這個將韓國、中國、日本、蒙古和俄羅斯的電網(wǎng)連接起來的計劃據(jù)稱是為了加強該地區(qū)的能源安全。但近幾個月，這個項目作為更深層地區(qū)經(jīng)濟和安全一體化的基礎(chǔ)，還得到了韓國新總統(tǒng)文在寅(Moon Jae-in)的支持。

A super grid would allow north-east Asian nations to share energy supplies, particularly in the event of a natural disaster, a Kepco spokesperson said.

韓國電力公社的一名發(fā)言人說，有了超級電網(wǎng)，東北亞國家能夠分享能源供應(yīng)，尤其是在爆發(fā)自然災(zāi)害的情況下。

Jung Heon, vice-president of the Korea Institute of Energy Policy, said the regional power grid plan was “an essential project for stable energy supply in the region. There are some technical problems but we can overcome those barriers if a political agreement is reached between the nations.”

韓國能源政策研究所(Korea Institute of Energy Policy)副所長Jung Heon表示，地區(qū)電網(wǎng)計劃是“地區(qū)能源穩(wěn)定供應(yīng)的關(guān)鍵項目。雖然存在一些技術(shù)難題，但如果各國能達成政治協(xié)議，我們能夠克服這些障礙。”

Mr Son, chief executive of Japanese technology group SoftBank, first proposed the plan following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster — but it has not attracted the same level of attention as some of the company’s other eye-catching moves, from last year’s £24bn acquisition of UK chip designer Arm and launch of the $100bn Saudi-backed Vision Fund to its troubled plans to invest up to $10bn in Uber.

日本科技集團軟銀(SoftBank)首席執(zhí)行官孫正義在2011年的福島(Fukushima)核災(zāi)難之后首次提出了這個計劃——但與該公司其他的一些引人注目的舉措相比，這個計劃并沒有吸引同樣的關(guān)注。這些舉措包括：去年軟銀斥資240億英鎊收購英國芯片設(shè)計公司Arm，設(shè)立得到沙特支持的1000億美元的愿景基金(SoftBank Vision Fund)，以及計劃向優(yōu)步(Uber)投資100億美元(但遭遇了重重麻煩)。

However, SoftBank has started adding operations that could feed into a regional grid.

然而，軟銀已經(jīng)開始新增可能促成地區(qū)電網(wǎng)的業(yè)務(wù)。

Last month SoftBank launched its new 50 megawatt wind farm in Mongolia’s Gobi desert — “the first step for the SoftBank Group . . . under the Asia Super Grid project”, according to Mr Son.

上月，軟銀在蒙古戈壁灘上建立的50兆瓦的新風力發(fā)電場投入使用——孫正義稱，這是“亞洲超級電網(wǎng)項目下……軟銀踏出的第一步”。

That followed the April announcement of a partnership for the development and construction of two large solar projects in the Japanese regions of Fukushima and Nagano.

此前，軟銀還在今年4月宣布在日本福島和長野(Nagano)合作開發(fā)和建立兩個大型太陽能項目。

Mr Moon has sought to use the initiative to bring nations together in a region on edge over North Korea’s nuclear provocations.

文在寅尋求利用該計劃把因朝鮮核挑釁而緊張不安的本地區(qū)的各國團結(jié)起來。

During a speech in Vladivostok in September, the South Korean president called for Russia’s inclusion in the project “within a greater vision of forming a north-east Asian economic bloc and a multilateral security system”.

9月在符拉迪沃斯托克(Vladivostok)發(fā)表講話時，文在寅呼吁俄羅斯在“形成東北亞經(jīng)濟區(qū)和多邊安全體系的更大視野”下加入這個計劃。

However, some analysts have questioned the project’s viability. They say a multilateral deal would take years, pointing to the precedent of much-discussed but ultimately unfulfilled plans to develop an overland gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea via North Korea, and raising concerns that South Korea has yet to develop cables that can carry the necessary 800 kilovolts of direct current thousands of kilometres along the seabed.

然而，一些分析師質(zhì)疑該項目的可行性。他們表示，達成一項多邊協(xié)議可能需要數(shù)年時間，他們指出了一個前車之鑒——開發(fā)一條經(jīng)由朝鮮從俄羅斯到韓國的陸上天然氣管道的計劃，經(jīng)過了很多討論但最終未能實現(xiàn)。分析師們還提出，韓國還未能研發(fā)出能承載800千伏特直流電、在海底穿越數(shù)千公里的線纜。

“It is not technically impossible and could boost energy security,” said Kang Seung-kyung, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities. “[But] it will take a long time to reach a political agreement and actually establish the energy network.”

“這在技術(shù)上并非不可能，還能夠提高能源安全。”韓國投資證券公司(Korea Investment & Securities)分析師Kang Seung-kyung說：“(但)達成政治協(xié)議和實際上建立起能源網(wǎng)絡(luò)需要很長時間。”

Additional reporting by Lucy Hornby in Beijing and Max Seddon in Moscow

韓碧如北京、馬克斯•塞登(Max Seddon)莫斯科補充報道