Korea mulls easing rules to allow dam water for Samsung’ chip complex

Samsung Yongin Semiconductor Cluster site [Photo by Park Hyung-ki]

The South Korean government is undertaking efforts to revamp about ten major regulations, including the Korean Act on the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (K-REACH) and the Chemicals Control Act (CCA), which were previously pointed out as excessive regulations by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

According to sources on Thursday, the Ministry of Environment recently presented a list of around ten regulations in need of improvement to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

The list covers five main areas, including advanced industry support, environmental impact assessments, carbon-neutral circular economy, and enhanced support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The K-REACH and the CCA were initially established to comprehensively evaluate the hazard of chemical substances and establish a comprehensive safety management system. However, they have faced criticism for overly standardized and burdensome regulations, which have been detrimental to the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The proposed improvements include aligning the registration threshold for new chemicals, currently set at over 100 kilograms per year, with the European standard of 1 ton.

The plan also involves implementing a differentiated system for the designation and management of toxic substances based on their toxicity types, instead of a uniform approach.

Additionally, the frequency of regular inspections will be adjusted based on the toxicity, volume, and hazard level, ranging from one to four years.

A key aspect of the relaxation of regulations in advanced industries focuses on expanding industrial water supply. The environment ministry projects a significant increase in industrial water demand, exceeding 500,000 tons per day, starting in 2030 when Samsung Yongin Semiconductor Cluster now under construction begins operation.

As the interruption of industrial water supply would halt industrial complexes, it is crucial to seek measures that ensure a stable water supply.

The ministry plans to relax regulations on wastewater treatment to allow for the stable reuse of treated wastewater, even during rainy periods.

In the past, excess water beyond the capacity of treatment facilities could not be discharged, resulting in the mixing of untreated water with the final purified effluent and preventing its reuse in industrial complexes.

To tackle this issue, the ministry intends to revise regulations to enable the extraction of treated water for reuse before it mixes with untreated water, thus preventing the deterioration of water quality.

Additionally, the proposed improvements in other regulations include support for the supply of water from Hwacheon Dam, a dam primarily intended for power generation, to the Samsung Cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, which is expected to require a substantial amount of industrial water.