South Korea: Government announces 1GW data center facility in South Korea

The government of South Korea is planning a 1GW data center campus in the country's southwestern region. The New Industry and Distributed Energy Division of the Ministry of Trade and Industry announced this week that up to 25 40MW data centers will be constructed in the Salaseido neighborhood of Haenam, Jeollanam-do.

The data centers are expected to be constructed in phases by 2037. In the first section, five buildings and a 300MW substation will be constructed by 2027. Five additional data centers and a second substation will be constructed by 2033, and eight additional facilities will be constructed by 2037. The campus will be located in the southwest of the nation at the RE100 industrial site in Guseong district, Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do. The region reportedly has 'abundant' renewable energy and excess capacity.

The government estimates that $7.5 billion could be invested in the initiative. This week, Minister Lee Chang-yang signed a business agreement with Jeollanam-do, Haenam-gun, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Jeonnam Development Corporation, and 7 investment firms to promote the construction of a data center park.

Seven investment firms include Samsung C&T, LG CNS, NH Investment & Securities, Bosung Industry, TGK Co., Ltd., Korea DRD, and Deus Systems.