Minister: Honam chip complex's 6.3GW power, 650,000t water can be supplied locally
In short
Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan told a National Assembly audit that the Honam semiconductor industrial complex's expected 6.3GW of electricity and 650,000 tonnes of water a day can be supplied from within the region. He said Korea Electric Power Corp. and experts assess that Honam-generated power can cover the demand. Asked about expansion, he said the region would need about 14GW if the number of fabs rises to nine, and that grid planning will be re-examined in finalising the 12th power supply basic plan.
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Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan said the Honam semiconductor industrial complex can be supplied with the 6.3GW of electricity and 650,000 tonnes of water a day it is expected to need, Yonhap reported. Speaking at the National Assembly audit of his ministry on Oct. 6, Kim said the assessment that Honam-produced electricity can cover the demand comes from Korea Electric Power Corp. and experts. [ 2 ]
Kim said Honam has had little industrial demand, so 3-5GW of electricity generated there has been sent to the capital region for industrial use rather than consumed locally. On water, he said most Yeongsan and Seomjin river water has been used only for agriculture and river maintenance, and that drought is a nationwide matter to be handled separately. He said the 6.3GW and 650,000 tonnes a day are volumes that can be sufficiently supplied in several respects, adding that the government would prepare well. [ 2 ]
Answering a question about further expansion, Kim said about 14GW of power would be needed if the number of Honam semiconductor fabs rises to nine, according to Newsis. He said the grid plan would be examined afresh while the 12th power supply basic plan is finalised, to check for anything unnecessary, and that an optimal plan matching current conditions would be drawn up, with details reported separately in writing. He also said the four subsea HVDC projects remain necessary, and cited a renewable-energy-focused grid project linking Haenam to Shinjangseong. [ 3 ]
Suh Wang-jin of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party argued that new demand from semiconductor fabs and planned AI data centres in Honam means existing transmission plans, which focus on sending Honam power to the capital and Chungcheong regions, must be reconsidered as they conflict with the government's stated aim of using local power for local industry. Kim agreed with the point that grid plans should be checked against changing industrial demand, while saying demand is rising in both the capital region and Honam, so the existing transmission projects are still needed. [ 3 ]
The audit took place in a session of the legislature's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Newsis published photographs of Kim answering questions at the session. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The remarks are the government's most specific public statement on whether the Honam semiconductor cluster can be powered and watered locally, a central question for the project. They also signal that the 12th power supply basic plan may be revised, with potential consequences for transmission projects meant to carry Honam electricity to the capital region. The documents give no timetable for the fabs or for the plan's finalisation.
Key facts
- Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan said at an Oct. 6 National Assembly audit that the Honam semiconductor industrial complex's expected 6.3GW of power and 650,000 tonnes of water a day can be sufficiently supplied within Honam. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Kim said Korea Electric Power Corp. and experts assess that electricity produced in Honam can supply the complex. [ 2 ]
- Kim said 3-5GW of Honam-generated electricity has gone unused locally and has been sent to the capital region for industrial use. [ 2 ]
- On water, Kim said most Yeongsan and Seomjin river water has been used only for agriculture and river maintenance because Honam's industrial demand is low, and that drought is a nationwide matter handled separately. [ 2 ]
- Kim said about 14GW of power would be needed if the number of Honam semiconductor fabs rises to nine. [ 3 ]
- Kim said the grid plan will be reviewed from the ground up while the 12th power supply basic plan is being finalised, and that four subsea HVDC projects are still needed. [ 3 ]
- The audit was held by the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Minister Kim Sung-hwan made the remarks at the Oct. 6 National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kim said the Honam semiconductor complex's expected 6.3GW of power and 650,000 tonnes of water a day can be sufficiently supplied from within Honam. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether nine fabs represent an official plan or a hypothetical expansion scenario. The figure appears in a single document as an answer to a lawmaker's question about fab expansion; no other document confirms any nine-fab plan.
- How the existing transmission plan will change, and which projects may be dropped or added. The minister said only that planning would be looked at afresh and that details would be reported in writing; no specifics are given.
- Whether Honam's local power supply conflicts with transmission projects that send Honam electricity to the capital region. A lawmaker raised the conflict and the minister said both new Honam demand and the HVDC projects are needed; the disagreement is not resolved in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsis publishes photos of Minister Kim Sung-hwan answering questions at the National Assembly audit in Yeouido, Seoul (article later modified at 15:00). [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports Kim saying 6.3GW of power and 650,000 tonnes of water a day can be supplied to the Honam semiconductor complex from within the region. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports Kim saying about 14GW would be needed if the cluster reaches nine fabs and that grid planning will be re-examined in the 12th power supply basic plan. [ 3 ]