Transformers earmarked for Yeosu, Busan projects to be redirected — 'projects already delayed'

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The government plans to divert transformers originally destined for Daegu and other regions to build a power transmission network for the Honam semiconductor industrial complex a year ahead of schedule, a move expected to spark accusations of regional discrimination.

Earlier, at the second joint public-private Mega Project review meeting in August, the government decided to complete the first-phase transmission line for the Honam semiconductor complex by the end of 2028 — one year earlier than originally planned.

According to People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Jae-ok of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment proposed "diverting transformer units from other projects" as a way to shorten construction time and ensure early power supply to the Honam semiconductor complex.

The transformers slated for diversion are those intended for the 345kV Sindalseong substation in Daegu, the 154kV Sadeung substation in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, the 154kV Jungheung substation in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, the 154kV Sinhang substation in Busan, and the 154kV Busanhang substation in Busan.

Yoon said the Sindalseong substation — originally set for completion in April 2024 to supply power to the Daegu national industrial complex and other facilities — has already been pushed back four years and eight months to December 2028. Diverting its transformer for the Honam semiconductor complex would push the completion date back further to October 2030, he said.

The other substations have also faced prolonged delays. The Sadeung substation, serving the western industrial and development zones of Geoje, is running 12 years and six months behind schedule; the Jungheung substation for the Yeosu national industrial complex is five years late; the Sinhang substation for Busan's new port is 14 years and two months behind; and the Busanhang substation is delayed by one year and six months.

At Monday's national audit of the Climate Ministry, Yoon said other substation projects "are already urgently delayed — what happens to those regions if the transformers are diverted?" He called on the ministry to "find a way to shorten the timeline for the Honam semiconductor complex's power grid while keeping the other projects on track."

In response, Climate Minister Kim Sung-hwan said the ministry would "ensure that power supply to other regions is not disrupted" by the transformer diversion.


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com