Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy signs 'water positive' MOU with Posco

[123RF]
[123RF]

South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy said Monday it will sign a "sustainable industrial water management and water positive cooperation agreement" with Posco at the Posco Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday.

The agreement aims to improve corporate water-use efficiency by reusing water generated at industrial sites and to recognize the resulting water restoration outcomes as water positive activities.

Under the agreement, Posco plans to maximize the reuse of cooling water that had previously been discharged as wastewater because it failed to meet certain quality standards.

To that end, the company will monitor cooling water quality in real time and apply wastewater treatment processes — including membrane filtration — to expand the volume of cooling water that can be reused.

The approach will initially be applied to five of Posco's cooling towers next year, with expansion to 20 towers planned by 2028. The company intends to review the results and consider adding more sites based on overall performance.

Under the partnership, the volume of water intake saved through cooling water reuse will be calculated and certified as water restoration.

Korea Water Resources Corporation will support data analysis — covering water consumption, reuse volumes, output, factory operation rates and water balance — as well as the calculation and verification of water restoration figures. The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy will oversee policy support and the overall project, and will certify water restoration volumes following expert review.

"Water positive" refers to the concept of returning more water to nature than a company consumes, contributing to sustainable water management. In practice, it encompasses a range of activities — reducing water consumption, reusing treated wastewater, improving watershed water quality and securing new water resources — all aimed at supporting the water cycle and conserving water resources.

Globally, companies such as Microsoft and Google have been actively pursuing water positive initiatives as part of their environmental management strategies.

The ministry has operated a "water positive partnership" with domestic companies and public institutions since 2024. Projects underway include the restoration of the Sinpung wetland at Jangheung Dam in 2025, and this year the creation of a sand spring near a military base in Hwacheon and a project to restore ecological continuity in the Yangyang Namdaecheon river.

The ministry plans to develop this collaboration into a leading model that links internal water-use efficiency improvements with measurable water positive outcomes.

It also intends to expand the initiative to water-intensive industries such as semiconductors and steel, with the goal of encouraging voluntary corporate investment in water conservation and reuse while raising overall water-use efficiency across the industrial sector.

"To sustain the growth of advanced industries and respond to climate change, it is essential to ensure a stable water supply while also using water more efficiently at industrial sites," said Song Ho-seok, director general of water management policy at the ministry. "We will support companies so that their voluntary investment in water conservation and reuse translates into tangible water restoration outcomes, and we will work to spread water positive activities across the broader industrial sector."


thlee@heraldcorp.com