[AI Era Electric Power as National Strength]③ "Electricity Is Not to Blame"... Supply-Demand Imbalance Is a Bigger Problem

Data Centers Trapped in a Trilemma (1)
Insights from Industry Experts...
Nearby Electromagnetic Waves Less Than 1% of Safety Standard

Data centers, essential infrastructure in the digital age, are facing a so-called 'trilemma' with three major issues: power supply, the AI revolution, and opposition from local residents. As the AI era arrives, the role of data centers has grown, but power supply in the metropolitan area has become difficult, and residents' opposition has increased due to their perception of data centers as 'harmful facilities.'

Aerial view of the Data Center in Siksadong, Goyang City. Provided by Shinyoung SND

"The institution that uses the most electricity in Seoul is the Transportation Corporation, which operates the subway. There are sections where the power lines are above ground. However, I have never heard of any problems caused by electromagnetic waves or complaints from nearby residents about power shortages or radio interference," said Han Nam-hyun, chairman of the Korea Architectural Electrical Equipment Technology Society, who worked at the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation for 20 years and is currently a professor at S-1 Human Resources Development Institute.

The core issue causing conflicts between operators and residents over the establishment of data centers leading the AI era is electricity. Data centers require electricity to operate, but residents oppose the high-voltage lines and substations supporting this, fearing electromagnetic waves.

However, experts' opinions and actual measurements show that such concerns from residents are excessive. Chairman Han said, "Large buildings like the 63 Building, POSCO Tower, and Lotte Tower also use enormous amounts of electricity with significant fluctuations between day and night, but they do not harm surrounding areas. In fact, data centers, which use electricity steadily, pose less risk."

The I'Park Mall in Yongsan, Seoul, has a 154 kV high-voltage line, but few Seoul citizens are aware of this. Samsung Electronics' semiconductor factory in Suwon also uses a 154 kV high-voltage line, yet local residents do not report electromagnetic wave damage. Major buildings and large department stores in Seoul, housing large corporations, use 22.9 kV electricity.

A poster created by residents opposing the construction of the Siksadong Data Center. Provided by the Emergency Countermeasures Committee

Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province is a representative local government where conflicts arise between operators and residents over data center establishment. Shin Young S&D Co., Ltd. is promoting data center construction by creating separate special purpose vehicles (PFVs) in Siksadong and Munbongdong, Goyang City. Both projects are currently delayed due to resident opposition.

Jung Woo-rim, executive director of Shin Young S&D, told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "The Saemaeul Geumgo IT Center in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu, and the KT data center in Mok-dong, Seoul, are also located near apartment complexes. Since these are not harmful facilities to the human body, construction should be possible if electricity supply is secured." He explained that dedicated lines are installed to secure the power needed for data centers, so there is no risk of power outages within apartment complexes.

Jung also revealed that on the 5th, he conducted an on-site verification accompanied by residents of Siksadong. They went to a large data center in Gyeonggi Province to measure electromagnetic waves. He said, "The Future Radio Engineering Research Institute, which has conducted many government research projects, measured electromagnetic waves nearby and found levels between 0.95 and 2.11 milligauss (mG)." The domestic electromagnetic wave safety standard is 833 mG, so this is less than 1% of the limit.

However, there are also calls for operators to make efforts to dispel residents' concerns. Previously, the Pacific Center data center in Jukjeon, Yongin, and LG Uplus Pyeongchon 2 Center mitigated electromagnetic wave concerns and reached resident agreements by burying the 154 kV high-voltage lines connecting to the data centers deeper underground or installing shielding plates.

Experts point out that power supply disruptions in the metropolitan area are a bigger problem. Chairman Han said, "Since the Milyang transmission tower incident in the past, it has become difficult to build transmission infrastructure, causing power supply disruptions in the metropolitan area. The real problem is that regulations are tightening to reduce electricity demand in the metropolitan area."

Hannamhyun, President of the Korea Society of Architectural Electrical Engineers

To encourage data centers to relocate outside the metropolitan area, the government amended the Enforcement Decree of the Electricity Business Act in March 2023. Previously, power generators and electricity sellers could not refuse power supply in principle. However, under the amended Electricity Business Act, if a large amount of electricity (5 megawatts or more) is used and it is judged that the power grid would be overloaded, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) can refuse power supply. Additionally, the Special Act on Activation of Distributed Energy, implemented in June 2024, requires power grid impact assessments when supplying 10 MW or more. Operators complain that the standards for power grid impact assessments are stringent.

Besides power supply, there are other issues. Data center operators and users complain that relocating data centers outside the metropolitan area causes transmission delays and makes it difficult to find maintenance and management personnel.

Song Jun-hwa, secretary-general of the Korea Data Center Energy Efficiency Association, said, "Metropolitan data centers are leased out within two years due to high demand, while non-metropolitan centers can remain 'unsold' for over five years." He added, "Given the need to recover the multi-billion won investment costs for data center construction, operators naturally prefer metropolitan locations." He emphasized, "Data center transmission lines are not problematic if buried according to legal standards and equipped with noise-reducing soundproof facilities."