K-water Focus ①
The ground-breaking ceremony for Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster, the first hydrothermal energy-based data integration complex in South Korea was held at the Bomnae Gymnasium in Chuncheon on March 11, 2024.
Text by Editorial Team
Source by K-water
A hydrothermal energy cluster built using deep water from Soyanggang River
On March 11, the ground-breaking ceremony for the Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster was held in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Province. The cluster uses cold deep water from Soyanggang Dam for the cooling function of data centers and heating at smart farm-based high-tech agricultural complexes. Its construction, which initiated in 2020, spans an area of 816,000m2 in Dong-myeon, Chuncheon at a total cost of KRW 360.7 billion and is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Data centers are core infrastructure of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the rapid growth of the digital economy. Massive amounts of energy are required to run these data centers 24 hours a day and 40% of the energy is used to cool off the heated servers. The Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster will use five tons of cold deep water from the Soyanggang Dam for the cooling of data centers and reuse the heated water to provide heating for smart farms. In this way, these facilities will achieve energy savings of up to 64%. In addition, the relocation of large-scale data centers in the cluster are projected to create over 7,300 jobs within 30 years, thus kickstarting the local economy.
A new industrial data powerhouse in the global arena
There were over 500 people attending the ceremony, including elementary and college students, local residents, and representatives of smart farms and companies that wish to move into the cluster. K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae said, “The Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster is a highly significant project because of serve three key government tasks, such as laying the foundation for South Korea to become a global digital trendsetter, securing enforcement authority for carbon neutrality, and promoting balanced development nationwide”. CEO Yun also emphasized, “With the launch of the cluster, Chuncheon will emerge as the cradle of Korea’s data industry and a new industrial data powerhouse in the global arena”. To ensure that the cluster serves as a benchmark of success, K-water aims to achieve green growth by creating a regional carbon neutrality cluster using hydrothermal energy, hydroelectric power generation and floating photovoltaic power generation, and also transform areas around dams nationwide into local content centers that combine tourism, culture and unique local brands.
An aerial view of Gangwon Hydrothermal Energy Cluster