South Korea to include thermal effluents from factory production processes under scope of mandatory wastewater reuse

The Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea issued a preliminary legislative notice proposing partial amendments to the Presidential Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Act on Promotion and Support of Water Reuse (hereinafter "the Water Reuse Act"), inviting public comments from April 18 to May 30, 2025. These amendments are based on the revised Water Reuse Act, which was promulgated on March 25, 2025, and now includes enhanced regulations on thermal effluents. While the Water Reuse Act previously regulated only thermal effluents from power plants, the revision expands its scope to cover thermal effluents generated during factory production processes (hereinafter "factory thermal effluents").