New nuclear reactors possible if the chip cluster keeps growing, minister says

Korea could consider building new nuclear reactors if far more semiconductor plants go up in its southwestern region than currently planned, Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-whan said Thursday.

"Large AI data centers and chip fabs have the characteristics of a baseload source and draw electricity around the clock," he said during an SBS radio show Thursday. "If we had to build far more fabs, on the scale of Yongin rather than just four [currently planned], we would have to consider [new reactors]."

Yongin, in Gyeonggi, is where a much larger chip cluster is under construction than the newly-announced Jeolla region.

The government says the four chip plants that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix plan to build in the southwest — which together will draw 6.3 gigawatts — can run on the existing Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant and solar power.

"The 6.3 gigawatts is an amount we can meet by adding to our current power sources," Kim said.

Even so, chip plants and AI data centers need power around the clock, and the intermittency of renewables is seen as a limit. And Samsung has raised the same concern.

"I ask that the expansion of nuclear power and LNG [liquefied natural gas] cogeneration, which would offset the intermittency of renewables, be pursued without fail," Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun said on Tuesday.

Kim shares that view.

"There are aspects that make it a bit hard to run power around the clock on renewables alone," he said. "We need to run nuclear as the baseload and use energy storage systems to manage flexibility."

He pointed out an important condition: New reactors would first require the acceptance of local residents.

"We need public discussion on how to handle the rising demand for electricity," he said.

Kim also turned to the cluster's water needs, put at 650,000 tons a day.

"There are seven dams on the Yeongsan and Seomjin river systems, and more if you count agricultural dams," he said. "We can just supply the water that is left over now."

Kim, aware that constructing additional dams could lead to greater environmental destruction, instead turned to other viable options such as upgrading existing ones.

"Raising the height of Dongbok Dam would increase the stored water while keeping environmental damage to a minimum, so it is quite feasible," he said.

Raising the Dongbok Dam in South Jeolla would supply 300,000 tons a day and the remaining 350,000 tons would come from others such as Juam and Jangheung dams, both in South Jeolla, according to the ministry.

Kim also addressed fears that farmers could be left short of water and took a cautious stance.

"We surely can't stop people from farming just because we're supplying water to chip plants," he said. "If we do end up using agricultural water, alternatives are something we would have to work out thoroughly with the farmers involved."

BY AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]