Concerns rise over expedited environmental reviews for mega-projects

President Yoon Suk Yeol's directive to expedite administrative procedures, including environmental impact assessments, for "mega-projects" has sparked concerns among environmental groups. During a joint government-private sector review meeting on June 6, Yoon emphasized the need for swift project execution, stating, "There must be absolutely no delays in investment execution due to administrative procedure delays." He specifically called for shortening the duration of environmental assessments, suggesting that existing evaluations could be referenced for projects in the same region and that new assessments should be significantly expedited.

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There must be absolutely no delays in investment execution due to administrative procedure delays.

The president pointed to the SK Hynix semiconductor plant in Yongin, which took six years from site confirmation to commencement of construction, as an example of inefficiency, remarking, "While it might seem fast, it doesn't seem that fast by my standards." Environmental impact assessments are designed to evaluate the potential environmental effects of large-scale development projects and to devise mitigation strategies. Projects exceeding certain scales, such as urban development, industrial complex creation, and infrastructure construction, are subject to these assessments under the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.

Environmental organizations argue that streamlining these assessments risks inadequate evaluation of a project's impact on electricity and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and ecosystem damage. This is particularly concerning for industries like semiconductors and artificial intelligence data centers, which are known for their substantial environmental footprints. Domestic data centers, for instance, consumed approximately 5.0 TWh of electricity in 2023. Five major IT companies' water withdrawal for data centers in fiscal year 2024 reached about 2.24 billion liters, exceeding the annual water consumption of Daejeon city, which has a population of 1.4 million.

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While it might seem fast, it doesn't seem that fast by my standards.

Semiconductor manufacturing also presents significant environmental challenges. Samsung Electronics' business report projects a rise in energy consumption to 337,942 TJ and greenhouse gas emissions to 18.26 million tons (CO₂ equivalent) in 2025, up from 301,635 TJ and 17.33 million tons in 2023. In response to these environmental burdens, other countries are tightening regulations. The Netherlands has declared a moratorium on new large-scale data centers, Ireland will not connect new data centers near Dublin to the grid until 2028 due to power grid strain, and Singapore has restricted new data center construction since 2019, only allowing it under strict conditions like renewable energy usage.

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Environmental impact assessments are not obstacles that slow down projects, but the minimum safety net to stop misguided development.

Environmental groups have strongly opposed the president's remarks. Green Korea issued a statement asserting, "Environmental impact assessments are not obstacles that slow down projects, but the minimum safety net to stop misguided development." They urged the government to prioritize public utility of electricity, water, and land, cumulative environmental impacts, and land use principles in the era of climate crisis before supporting corporate investments. The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement criticized the president for directly undermining the purpose and role of environmental impact assessments, stating, "Adhering to laws and principles is the state's duty and grants legitimacy to national projects."

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Adhering to laws and principles is the state's duty and grants legitimacy to national projects.