Korean gov. and Samsung sign MOU to supply recycled sewage as industrial water for semiconductor plant 
On November 30, 2022, the South Korean Ministry of Environment announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Samsung Electronics to activate sewage water recycling. Under the MOU, government agencies, local governments, and Samsung Electronics will work together to supply recycled sewage water for industrial use in Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor factories. The company plans to recycle treated water from five sewage treatment facilities in Suwon, Yongin, Giheung, Hwaseong, and Osan cities in South Korea, and supply industrial water to Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor factories, which require about 474,000 tons per day.
The Ministry of Environment explained that the target amount of recycled sewage treated water is about 474,000 tons per day, or 173 million tons per year, and said it will be the largest in South Korea. In addition, it was announced that the roles of each organization have been defined as follows:
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Environment |
|
| Gyeonggi Province |
|
| Suwon City, Yongin City, Hwaseong City, Osan City |
|
| Pyeongtaek City |
|
| Korea Water Resources Corporation |
|
| Korea Environment Corporation |
|
| Samsung Electronics |
|
According to Samsung Electronics, the company’s semiconductor factory is expected to need twice as much industrial water by 2030. However, the company announced a new environmental management strategy in September 2022, in which it plans to recycle water to maintain water intake at 2021 levels.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has announced that it has signed an MOU with SK Hynix and Yeoju City for the creation of an industrial park for semiconductor manufacturing. Until now, SK Hynix was unable to reach an agreement with Yeoju City regarding the water intake to be used for the company’s semiconductor plant, and was unable to proceed with the installation of a water facility. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained that by actively intervening on the issue of supplying water to the SK Hynix semiconductor plant in Yeoju City, tightening regulations on wastewater discharge, and providing support to revitalize the local economy in Yeoju City, it was finally agreed that the establishment of water facilities could proceed.
The government agency press release can be viewed at the following URL:
- Ministry of Environment press release:
https://me.go.kr/home/web/board/read.do?pagerOffset=0&maxPageItems=10&maxIndexPages=10&searchKey=&searchValue=&menuId=10525&orgCd=&boardId=1564510&boardMasterId=1&boardCategoryId=&decorator= - Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy press release:
http://www.motie.go.kr/motie/ne/presse/press2/bbs/bbsView.do?bbs_seq_n=166380&bbs_cd_n=81¤tPage=61&search_key_n=title_v&cate_n=&dept_v=&search_val_v= - Samsung Electronics “New Environmental Management Strategy (Announced September 15, 2022)”:
https://news.samsung.com/kr/%ec%82%bc%ec%84%b1%ec%a0%84%ec%9e%90-%e6%96%b0%ed%99%98%ea%b2%bd%ea%b2%bd%ec%98%81%ec%a0%84%eb%9e%b5-%ec%84%a0%ec%96%b8
