Backlash from Daegu and others prompts reversal; minister warns legal action looms over long-delayed East Seoul converter station

Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan reviews documents and issues instructions Wednesday at a candidate substation site in Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, in preparation for power supply to the Honam semiconductor industrial complex. [Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy]
Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan reviews documents and issues instructions Wednesday at a candidate substation site in Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, in preparation for power supply to the Honam semiconductor industrial complex. [Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy]

The government has dropped a plan to divert transformers earmarked for substations in Daegu and other regions to accelerate power grid construction for the Honam semiconductor industrial complex, saying a fresh order will keep the project on schedule.

Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan told reporters Wednesday at a candidate substation site in Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, that the ministry had decided to "place a new order rather than repurpose existing transformers," adding that the original approach "could give rise to various misunderstandings."

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy had been exploring whether to redirect transformers destined for substations under construction in Daegu and elsewhere in order to complete the first phase of the Honam semiconductor complex's transmission lines a year ahead of the original schedule.

The transformers under consideration were those slated 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.

The affected regions pushed back immediately. All of the substations in question were already behind schedule, and diverting their transformers would have caused further delays. The backlash was compounded by a global supply crunch: with aging grid replacement underway mainly across North America and an AI data center boom driving demand, delivery times for extra-high-voltage transformers now average three years after ordering and can stretch to four or five years.

The People Power Party, then in opposition, led the pushback, turning the dispute into a political fight.

On the long-delayed expansion of the East Seoul converter station in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province — stalled by local residents' opposition — Kim said he expected to reach "some level of understanding with residents within November," but warned that the ministry could not wait indefinitely. "We will do our best to reach an agreement this month, and if that proves difficult, we will have to follow legal procedures," he said.

The remark signaled that the ministry may invoke mandatory provisions under the National Grid Infrastructure Act.

Under the act, the minister must seek the opinion of local government heads before approving a grid project implementation plan, but if a local authority fails to submit its opinion within 60 days, the consultation is deemed complete. Approval of an implementation plan also carries the effect of granting building permits and other required authorizations.

The provisions are designed to prevent local governments, acting under pressure from residents, from blocking project progress by withholding necessary permits.

The East Seoul converter station is the metropolitan-area terminus of the East Coast–Greater Seoul high-voltage direct current transmission line, which carries electricity generated by nuclear and thermal power plants on the east coast to the capital region.

Construction was originally due to be completed in 2019 but has been delayed by residents' objections over concerns about electromagnetic waves, safety and the impact on the local landscape.

Kim also visited Dongbok Dam in Hwasun-gun, South Jeolla Province, on Wednesday, where an expansion is planned to supply industrial water to the Honam semiconductor complex. The minister met with residents who would be displaced by the expansion. About 280 households are estimated to have to leave their homes as a result — many of them people who had already been forced to relocate when the dam was originally built.


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com