With the increasing importance of water-quality safety due to drought and heat waves, K-water CEO Seogdae Yun visited the Deokso Water Purification Plant in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do on August 13 to check the construction status of the granular activated carbon (GAC) recycling facilities. Furthermore, he also checked the stable supply of tap water in preparation for the influx of algae and taste and odor compounds from upstream water sources during the summer.
K-water is strengthening its raw water quality-management by deploying green algae reduction equipment at raw-water sources and selectively withdrawing deep water with less effect on green algae. The water-purification plant operates an advanced process at all times to ensure water-quality safety. Granular activated carbon is a key material that adsorbs and removes taste and odor compounds in this process, and it is important to secure stable supply thereof due to high dependence on foreign countries, given the domestic supply and demand situation.
Accordingly, K-water is striving to establish an activated carbon regeneration and circulation system to reduce dependence on foreign countries and secure a stable supply base. The recycling facility under construction at the Deokso Water Purification Plant has a capacity of 48㎥ per day, and it will circulate and supply high-quality activated carbon on a regular basis to 10 metropolitan water purification plants, including the Han River basin.
K-water CEO Seogdae Yun explained, “We will thoroughly manage all stages of water supply, from water intake to water purification, in order to actively respond to factors that change water quality such as heatwaves, drought, and green algae,” adding, “We will complete the construction of the activated carbon recovery facility on time to solidify the foundation for self-reliance in supply and demand and enhance preemptive water management.”

On August 19, K-water signed an agreement to jointly conduct a preliminary feasibility study for the Bustos Dam Floating Solar Power Development Project in the Philippines with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Korea Research Institute on Climate Change, and Saegil, an accounting firm, at the GGGI headquarters in Seoul. The project is K-water’s first attempt to apply to an overseas dam its floating solar power technology, which was commercialized for the first time in Korea.
Participating organizations will look into the feasibility of building floating solar power plants with a capacity of up to 90 MW in Bustos Dam, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, the Philippines. Under the Agreement, K-water will oversee the project and provide technical advice, while GGGI will conduct the technical feasibility study. The Korea Research Institute on Climate Change and accounting firm Saegil will review the carbon and financial feasibility, respectively.
Starting with Hapcheon Dam in 2012, K-water is currently operating floating solar power facilities with a total capacity of 105 MW at seven locations across the country. The Agreement signed this time is also the first milestone that led to actual business through the Agreement to Strengthen Cooperation in Response to Climate Change and Sustainable Water Management signed between K-water and GGGI in July.
Yongdeok Cho, head of the K-water Global Business Division, remarked, “This is the starting point of practical cooperation connecting floating solar power know-how and GGGI’s global climate finance network,” adding, “We are fully committed to ensuring that it becomes a successful international greenhouse gas reduction project.”

Seogdae Yun, CEO of K-water, visited Yeongcheon Dam in the Gyeongsangbuk-do region and the proposed Hangsa Dam site in Pohang on August 12 and checked their readiness to respond to drought and water disasters. As the water-storage rate of Yeongcheon Dam has decreased due to the recent drought, he looked into the water-supply system and urged that all efforts be made to provide customized on-site support, such as emergency water supply in preparation for rising salinity in the Hyeongsan River. Furthermore, he visited the proposed Hangsa Dam site to check up on the project progress, and discuss plans for an early construction start with the local community. K-water plans to monitor the water retention status of major dams across the country 24 hours a day to prepare for droughts, while strengthening stable water supply and disaster-response capabilities by expanding the mid- to long-term water-supply infrastructure.

On July 30, K-water signed a framework agreement with the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation for the Hydrothermal Energy Supply Pilot Project for Hanam Gyosan Apartments. The project targets 763 households in Block A8 of the Hanam Gyosan public housing district, and it is planned to supply 1,000 RT (3.5 MW) of hydrothermal energy by utilizing approximately 17,000 tons per day of raw water from the metropolitan water-supply system. This is the first case in Korea of directly applying hydrothermal energy, which has till now been mainly used in large buildings or complexes, to each household in an apartment complex. Residents can now cool and heat their apartments without any need for an outdoor air conditioner unit, and this is expected to reduce energy use by about 35% compared to existing systems.

From July 27 to August 8, K-water provided the Summer Semester for AI-based Korean Digital Twin Water Management course for professors and eight students from California State University Bakersfield (CSUB). It was conducted as part of the MOU signed between the two institutions last year, and CSUB agreed to officially grant two regular credits for bachelor’s degrees.
Participants visited the Water Management Control Center, the National Drought Information-Analysis Center, the Gosan AI Water Purification Plant, and the Sihwa Tidal Power Plant to learn cutting-edge water-management technologies and field application cases based on AI and digital twins. Going forward, the two institutions plan to continue strengthening human and technological exchanges, including expanding training programs and dispatching employees.

On August 4, K-water signed an MOU for Revitalizing Open Innovation with the Gyeongbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center, and entered into a three-party (including startups in the Gyeongsangbuk-do region) proof of concept (PoC) agreement. The purpose of the MOU was to revitalize the local startup ecosystem by identifying promising local startups and supporting the verification and commercialization of innovative technologies.
K-water plans to provide such support by sharing its infrastructure, including the national K-Testbed and Water Round. Going forward, the two organizations plan to jointly identify promising startups in the climate technology field and support the growth of local innovative companies.