The “Semiconductor Water Problem” Flagged in Yongin Emerges Again in Honam

[Financial News]  The government’s plan to supply water to the Honam Semiconductor Cluster has drawn concerns in the National Assembly that a stable water supply may be difficult. The legal basis needed to use water from power-generation dams for industrial purposes is inadequate, and the possibility of regional conflicts over the Yeongsan and Seomjin river basins has also been raised.
According to the report “Fact Check: Review of the Feasibility of the Water Supply Plan for the Honam Semiconductor Cluster,” published by the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) on the 17th, the government estimates that the Honam semiconductor industrial complex will require about 650,000 tons of industrial water per day. The plan calls for 300,000 tons from Dongbok Dam, 100,000 tons each from Jangheung Dam, Boseonggang Dam, and Naju Dam, and 50,000 tons from Juam Dam. An additional 300,000 tons of recycled wastewater is to be supplied daily from Gwangju No. 1 Sewage Treatment Plant.
The problem is reliability. After analyzing the inflow and outflow volumes of Jangheung Dam, Boseonggang Dam, Naju Dam, and Juam Dam from 2021 to 2025, NARS found wide fluctuations linked to precipitation. Inflow to Boseonggang Dam in 2024 was 84% higher than the average for the previous five years, while inflow to Jangheung Dam in 2022 was 72.2% lower than the average.
The government’s assessment of water-supply reliability for domestic and industrial use also showed that the Yeongsan River received a rating of 3.4, making it less stable than the Geum River at 2.9, the Seomjin and Hangang rivers at 2.4, and the Nakdong River at 1.9. Because semiconductor production requires large volumes of water to be supplied without interruption, experts say the possibility of supply disruptions caused by climate conditions such as drought must be carefully examined.
Legal issues also remain. The government’s plan includes using power-generation water from Boseonggang Dam, a power-generation dam, as industrial water. NARS pointed out that a legal basis is needed to use power-generation water for purposes other than power generation. Under the current system, there is also a possibility that authorities may be unable to collect fees even after supplying industrial water.
The same issue arose during the process of supplying water from Hwacheon Dam to the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. NARS criticized the government, saying, “It is seeking to create the Honam semiconductor industrial complex in the same manner without presenting legal and institutional improvements for the problems that arose while promoting the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster.”
Regional conflicts over water are another variable. Gwangju, where the cluster will be located, lies in the Yeongsan River basin, but a significant portion of the planned water supply would come from the Seomjin River basin. NARS said conflicts among stakeholders over water use have persisted as Seomjin River water has been supplied to other regions for an extended period. It proposed building social consensus through measures such as a water-management agreement.
Although the government forecast water shortages in the Honam region in previous reports, the current plan presents only target supply volumes from dams and recycled wastewater, without disclosing specific calculation methods. NARS noted, “To establish the feasibility of a large-scale national project, the sustainability of the water supply must first be verified, and social consensus among regions must then be built on that basis.”

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