As the government pushes to create a "southwestern semiconductor cluster" worth at least 800 trillion won, critics say the effective power capacity that Honam can actually generate is far short of future demand. On paper, the maximum capacity might appear sufficient to meet demand, but the effective capacity available for use will not keep up with future needs. The government and the presidential office have said that Honam has strong renewable energy supply conditions and ample power, but the industry is already growing concerned about a lack of infrastructure.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Un-ju of the Trade. Industry Energy. SMEs. and Startups Committee; People Power Party lawmaker Kim Wi-sang of the climate, energy, environment and labor committee; and Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Hwang Jeong-a and People Power Party lawmaker Choi Hyeong-du of the Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee held a forum at the National Assembly on the 10th under the theme, "Southwestern semiconductor cluster, how will power be supplied: tasks for the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity." Attendees included officials from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) and the Korea Power Exchange, as well as nuclear power corporations such as PMG and academic experts.
Park Joo-heon, a professor at Dongduk Women's University who presented that day, said, "The government selected Honam as a semiconductor cluster site, saying its power is abundant, but the problem is that effective capacity cannot keep up with future peak demand." "Future peak demand" refers to the sum of current demand and the increase from Honam semiconductor demand.
According to Park, Honam's rated capacity (maximum possible generation) is 24.6 GW, exceeding future peak demand (19.1 GW), but it falls far short when measured by effective capacity (14.2 GW). Unlike nuclear power, solar and other sources supply intermittently, and Park said the high share of such renewables undermines the stability of power supply and demand. The site for the Honam semiconductor cluster was chosen on the grounds of "abundant power," but in its current state it cannot meet demand.
Such concerns were also raised by the union. Kang Chang-ho, chairperson of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) labor union, said, "Honam is now abuzz with a mega semiconductor cluster project fueled by an astronomical 800 trillion won, but there is a question we frankly need to ask." He added, "Honam's nominal installed capacity exceeds future peak demand, but the share of intermittent sources such as solar is far too high."
He also said applying the "52-hour workweek" causes schedule delays and weakens competitiveness. Chairperson Kang said, "Nuclear power is a specialized industry that absolutely requires intensive work by highly skilled technicians at certain times, such as construction, commissioning, and planned preventive maintenance," adding, "If a uniform 52-hour workweek is imposed on commissioning and maintenance sites where every second counts, it will ultimately lead to schedule delays, a fatal act of self-harm that hobbles us in global competition."
Samsung Electronics and SK Group, core corporations in the "three mega projects of the Republic of Korea," were initially slated to participate, but reportedly decided not to during consultations in view of the difficulty of taking a position as parties to the project.
During the open discussion, several remarks were made to the effect that "there is no reason for corporations to go down to Honam if they will lose money." Chairperson Kang said, "Corporations are likely watching various conditions, including the current (power shortage)." Lee Jung-jae, chair of the Nuclear Policy Alliance, also said, "Power must be supplied properly first so corporations can survive; this is not a matter of just telling them to build," adding, "If corporations judge there is 'no business feasibility,' they will refuse to proceed, citing a hundred reasons."