[Chip Talk] Reusing Wastewater for Semiconductor Production

Water Supply and Wastewater: A Recurring Challenge in the Semiconductor Industry
SK Hynix Also Solves Water Supply Issues... Accelerating Semiconductor Cluster Development

A Samsung Electronics employee wets their hands in a pond created with purified water at the Hwaseong Plant Green Center.

[Asia Economy Reporter Sunmi Park] "We have secured new water resources. As expected, by 2030, we will need to use about twice as much water as we currently do. However, we will maintain the amount of water drawn from the water source at this year's level." - Kyung Kye-hyun, President of Samsung Electronics DS Division (Semiconductor).

Samsung Electronics, which uses an average of 310,000 tons of water daily at its domestic semiconductor production plants, has found the answer to achieving 'zero increase in water intake' by utilizing 'waste domestic sewage.' Samsung decided to use domestic sewage after considering the increased water demand due to semiconductor line expansion. The plan is to collect and recycle domestic sewage around the factories. President Kyung recently communicated with employees on 'WeTalk,' stating, "Producing an average of 470,000 tons of water per day from domestic sewage that we (Samsung Electronics Semiconductor) can use is an unprecedented achievement globally," and added, "Although the actual water usage in 2030 will double compared to now, the water supplied from the water source can be maintained at the current level."

◆ Supplying water using domestic sewage... Wastewater treated to first-class water = At the end of last month, Samsung Electronics signed a business agreement to promote the reuse of treated sewage water with the Ministry of Environment, Gyeonggi Province, five cities (Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Osan), Korea Water Resources Corporation, and Korea Environment Corporation. The discharged water from public sewage treatment plants in Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong, and Osan is treated to industrial water standards required by the semiconductor business sites and supplied to Samsung Electronics’ Giheung, Hwaseong, and Pyeongtaek plants. Through this agreement, the amount of water Samsung Electronics can receive starting from the end of 2028 is approximately 474,000 tons per day, totaling 173 million tons annually. Some of the discharged water supplied to each site will be further processed into 'ultrapure water' for semiconductor production.

Samsung Electronics is also working to minimize pollutants in the water discharged after use, not just the water drawn. By applying new water pollutant removal technologies, the goal is to treat and discharge water in a 'natural state' with almost no environmental impact starting from 2040. The water purification process is divided into biological treatment using microorganisms, chemical treatment, and physical treatment using filters to gradually remove pollutants.

Before discharging into rivers, Samsung Electronics uses the TMS (Tele-Monitoring System) managed by the Korea Environment Corporation to measure water quality in real time and sends the data to the Environment Corporation. Water quality is strictly managed at about 30% of the detailed legal limits for each component. Approximately 160,000 tons of water are purified daily and discharged into local rivers (Hwaseong Campus → Woncheoncheon, Giheung Campus → Osancheon, etc.). Samsung Electronics describes the treated water as clean enough for otters to live in.

◆ SK Hynix takes a breather on water supply issues = SK Hynix, a key company in the semiconductor cluster to be established in Yongin, recently resolved its water supply difficulties. The approval and announcement of the water supply facility implementation plan for the semiconductor cluster general industrial complex by Yongin City has accelerated the cluster's development. Construction of the water supply facility will begin next month and is scheduled for completion in July 2026. Industrial water will be supplied at 265,000 tons per day through a 36.9 km pipeline (1500mm diameter) from the intake point at Yeoju Dam on the Namhan River in Yeoju City, passing through Icheon City to the Yongin semiconductor cluster industrial complex.

It took one and a half years to resolve the water supply issue. The project operator, Yongin General Industrial Complex, applied for permits to Yongin City, the approval authority, in May last year to install the water supply facility. However, Yeoju City, which manages the intake point, opposed during consultations, stating that a win-win plan must be established first, delaying the permit process.

As local negotiations failed and the semiconductor cluster project was delayed, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy even formed a task force team (Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Complex Water Facility TF) to mediate. Although the water supply issue was eventually resolved, the delayed schedule pushed back the completion of the Yongin semiconductor cluster industrial complex from the end of 2024 to the end of 2026, a two-year delay. The project cost also increased by 559 billion KRW, from the original 1.7903 trillion KRW to 2.3493 trillion KRW. The Yongin semiconductor cluster is a project by Yongin General Industrial Complex to build a next-generation memory production base on 4.15 million square meters in Dokseong, Godang, and Jungneung-ri, Wonsam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin City. SK Hynix plans to invest about 120 trillion KRW to establish four semiconductor production plants there.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.