'Emergency' if Supply Drops for Even a Second: Concerns Over Water Source for Semiconductor Hub

The government has announced plans to supply 650,000 tons of water per day to the semiconductor fabrication plants in the southwestern region, which is approximately 43% of the volume required for the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster currently under construction.

[Kim Sung-hwan / Minister of Climate and Environment: We will ensure that the 650,000 tons of water are supplied on time and without any disruptions.]

Currently, among the dams in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, only the Jangheung Dam and Juam Dam have a combined surplus of about 150,000 tons.

The government explains that it can meet the 650,000-ton target by including measures such as converting 100,000 tons of water from the Boseong River Dam, a power-generation-only dam located on a tributary of the Seomjin River, for industrial use.

[Yoon Seok-dae / CEO of K-water: If necessary, we can secure additional surplus by consulting with the Ministry of Climate and Environment to raise the height of some dams.]

However, concerns over water shortages remain significant.

Experts point out that while it may be easy to repurpose power-generation dams like the Boseong River Dam, it is difficult to do the same for other dams because their water is already allocated for specific purposes such as agriculture or residential use.

[Yoo Cheol-sang / Professor at Korea University (President of the Korea Water Resources Association): Unlike power-generation dams, the water supply methods are completely different, and the infrastructure for such supply is not in place, so I do not think this is a simple matter to resolve in a short period of time.]

Previously, the Ministry of Environment, the predecessor to the current Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, had diagnosed as recently as 2023 that the Honam region was exposed to severe water shortages and drought risks.

Power supply is another hurdle that must be overcome.

The government plans to supply 6.3 gigawatts of electricity to the Honam region, focusing on renewable energy and nuclear power.

While the Honam region is rich in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, the high variability of power supply depending on weather conditions could lead to large-scale additional costs for energy storage systems (ESS) to compensate for the fluctuations.

There are six units at the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province. Unit 1 has already ceased operations as it reached the end of its design life, and Unit 2 is scheduled to stop operating this coming September.

In response to concerns about water shortages, Chief of Staff to the President Kang Hoon-sik stated, "The government is not incompetent enough to make such an announcement without verifying those details," and regarding the controversy over power shortages, he added, "We will also review plans to shorten the construction period for new nuclear power plants."

Reported by Jang Se-man | Written by Yoon Sung-sik | Video by Yoon Tae-ho | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.