Solution Found for Power Supply to SK Hynix-Led Yongin Semiconductor General Industrial Complex in 600 Trillion Won Project

Governor Kim Dong-yeon Signs MOU with KEPCO President Kim Dong-chul
to Supply Power via Underground Grid Along Provincial Road No. 318

A solution has been established to address the shortage of electricity (3GW) at the general industrial complex led by SK Hynix, which is a key component of the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in Gyeonggi Province, where 600 trillion won is being invested.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government announced that on January 22, Governor Kim Dong-yeon signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kim Dong-chul, President of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), to build an underground power grid along a 27.02 km section of Provincial Road No. 318 between Yongin and Icheon, where new road construction and expansion are underway, to supply electricity to the SK Hynix-led general industrial complex.

Under this agreement, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government will be responsible for road paving and securing land for Provincial Road No. 318, while KEPCO will handle the construction of the underground power grid beneath the road. This is the first model in Korea where road construction and power grid installation are being carried out simultaneously.

The general industrial complex led by SK Hynix requires 6GW, while the national industrial complex led by Samsung Electronics requires 9GW, making the total electrical capacity needed to operate the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster 15GW.

The government and Samsung have stated that approximately 6GW out of the 9GW required for the national industrial complex has been secured. For the general industrial complex, SK Hynix has secured 3GW, leaving a shortfall of 3GW.

Initially, the government considered installing transmission towers to supply power to the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. However, strong opposition from local residents to the transmission towers hindered progress.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Amid these challenges, in July of last year, Governor Kim Dong-yeon made a new proposal to KEPCO after internal discussions: to expand the power grid by utilizing the underground space beneath the new road in Gyeonggi Province. After two rounds of working-level meetings, KEPCO accepted the proposal, paving the way for a solution.

According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, the "new road underground installation" method offers several advantages compared to installing transmission towers or using existing roads for underground power lines.

First, in addition to resolving the power shortage at the SK Hynix-led general industrial complex, this approach can also reduce issues that previously arose from constructing roads and power grids separately, such as duplicate excavation, traffic congestion, and noise and dust.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government expects that the road construction period will be shortened by five years, project costs will be reduced by 30 percent, and the savings in construction costs will benefit the province’s finances.

Kang Minseok, spokesperson for the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, stated, "Governor Kim Dong-yeon recently posted on Facebook that the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster is a major achievement that President Lee Jaemyung attracted to Gyeonggi Province during his tenure as governor. Gyeonggi Province is meticulously managing the industrial infrastructure, including electricity, water, and transportation, to build on that success. In this first year of Korea’s great leap forward, we will support it through the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster," adding, "As publicly promised, we have produced a tangible solution to the power supply issue at the general industrial complex, which is one of the two pillars of the cluster along with the national industrial complex."