Calls to halt the planned data center
Local environmental groups and farmers have called for a complete halt to an artificial intelligence (AI) data center project that Hongseong County in South Chungcheong Province has agreed to attract to the Naepo New Town Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex. They argue that the facility would consume enormous amounts of electricity and water while leaving local residents to bear the damage from noise and heat island effects.
On October 26, the Yesan-Hongseong Federation for Environmental Movement and the public interest law center Nongbon held a press conference in front of the industrial complex site in Naepo New Town. They demanded, “Hongseong County must immediately stop its rushed pursuit of an AI data center that consumes enormous amounts of electricity and water and threatens local residents' lives and the agricultural environment, and thoroughly reconsider the project.”
Hongseong County previously signed an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Optimus CDC in September and announced plans to attract a 600 billion won AI data center by 2029 on a 14,130-square-meter site designated for industry-academia cooperation within the Naepo high-tech industrial complex.
However, environmental groups and others criticized the facility, saying it would consume excessive local resources and cause serious environmental and social side effects. According to their press conference statement, the facility passed a power system impact assessment with an installed capacity of 80 MW and would use 630 GWh of electricity annually if it operated at a 90% utilization rate. This exceeds 54% of Hongseong County's total annual electricity consumption of 1,149 GWh. If water cooling is used, the facility would require 1.13 million tonnes of water annually, equivalent to 11% of the county's total water supply in 2024.
The groups said, “Hongseong County lacks sufficient water sources of its own and receives tap water from Boryeong Dam. Supplying more than 1 million tonnes of water annually to a single facility could exacerbate water shortages in neighboring municipalities, while discharging hot, concentrated cooling wastewater could also pollute rivers and groundwater.” They added, “Nearby residents would also have to bear the damage from constant cooling fan noise and the heat island effect, which raises ground surface temperatures near data centers.”
They also pointed out that despite the large investment of 600 billion won, only 50 new jobs had been promised, arguing that the effect on the local economy would be minimal.
Concerns over resources and agriculture
Hwang Seong-ryeol, head of the South Chungcheong Federation for Environmental Movement, said, “The proliferation of data centers pursued on an attract-them-first basis, without plans for electricity and water, threatens local safety.” Hwang also questioned whether ordinary residents would receive priority access to electricity and water if supplies became scarce during an emergency.
Ha Seung-su, head of Nongbon, also criticized the project, saying, “This project requires an enormous amount of money, yet there has not even been verification of whether the developer has actually secured tenant demand from overseas big tech companies or has the ability to raise financing.” Ha added, “They are trying to unilaterally take on a facility that residents of large cities avoid and oppose, without consulting residents.”
Anxiety is also growing among farmers.
Jang Gil-seop, 66, who grows rice on three hectares in Hongdong Township, said, “Climate change is increasing unpredictable natural disasters, and this year's autumn drought has also reduced rice yields.” Jang expressed concern, saying, “In these circumstances, if an AI data center that uses enormous amounts of water is built without sufficient examination of agricultural water shortages, we do not know what damage it could cause to farming.”
County says further review will follow
Hongseong County's position is that the project is currently only at the stage of a signed investment agreement and that it will closely examine issues including community acceptance as the project proceeds.
A county official explained, “The MOU currently signed is only an agreement on an investment plan. The site belongs to Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and the company has not yet paid the land price in full or registered a transfer of ownership.” The official added, “Once the company's specific investment arrangements and project plan are finalized and formal permitting procedures begin, we will comprehensively review environmental impacts, including water and electricity use, as well as acceptance among nearby residents.”
Original Korean article: nongmin.com
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
