SK hynix told Korea International Water Week 2026, running through Friday at EXCO in Daegu, that it reduced water consumption at its Korean semiconductor plants by an average of 170,000 tons a day last year, an amount roughly equal to the daily household water use of 550,000 people, according to a Korea Times report published on 8 September 2026 The Korea Times.
Key takeaways
- Daily water use at SK hynix's Korean plants was cut by an average of 170,000 tons per day last year, roughly matching household use for 550,000 people The Korea Times.
- Cumulative water savings reached 303.37 million tons last year, beating the company's 264 million-ton target, with 329 million tons targeted for this year The Korea Times.
- Water reuse rose to 73.59 million tons last year from 47.88 million tons in 2022, an increase of about 54 percent The Korea Times.
- The Icheon plant now produces 94,400 tons of reused water a day through an in-plant wastewater recycling facility, and the Cheongju plant became the first Korean chip site to take reused water from an outside sewage treatment plant in 2023 The Korea Times.
- The company has set a cumulative water-use reduction goal of 600 million tons by 2030 The Korea Times.
What happened
SK hynix presented the figures this week at Korea International Water Week 2026 at EXCO in Daegu, where the chipmaker also outlined a goal to cut cumulative water use by 600 million tons by 2030, according to a Korea Times report published on 8 September 2026 The Korea Times. The event brings together government agencies, companies and experts from about 50 countries, with roughly 80 companies and institutions taking part this year The Korea Times.
The company has run a water and wastewater reduction task force since 2018, and its cumulative water savings reached 303.37 million tons last year, surpassing its target of 264 million tons, with a new target of 329 million tons this year The Korea Times. Water reuse has climbed to 73.59 million tons last year from 47.88 million tons in 2022, up about 54 percent The Korea Times.
At its Icheon plant in Gyeonggi Province, SK hynix produces 94,400 tons of reused water daily through a wastewater recycling facility, feeding it to air pollution control equipment and other systems, and its Cheongju plant became the first in Korea's chip industry to adopt reused water from an outside sewage treatment plant in 2023 The Korea Times. The company says it manages water resources at every stage, from intake to discharge, using ozone oxidation, activated carbon and multistage coagulation and sedimentation systems to treat wastewater The Korea Times. At the expo, the firm built its booth around the "Water Loop" concept and highlighted its ECOSEE citizen science programme along the Anseong Stream, where residents track ecological changes before and after a semiconductor cluster is developed in Yongin The Korea Times.
Specification read
For buyers, the headline 170,000 tons per day is the figure to anchor on, expressed in metric as 170,000 m³/day, the same order of magnitude as a 150-200 MLD industrial reuse retrofit and equivalent to domestic demand for about 550,000 people at the 310 L/p·d Korea Times benchmark The Korea Times. The Icheon site alone discharges 94,400 m³/day of polished reuse, so a plant of comparable scale sits in the upper end of the municipal-plus-industrial envelope (general industry range, not from the sources) and pushes the biological and tertiary trains hard. The reported train is screening and primary clarification, followed by biological treatment (general industry range, not from the sources), then tertiary polishing with ozone oxidation, activated carbon adsorption and multistage coagulation and sedimentation, then UV or chemical disinfection (general industry range, not from the sources) before the water is looped to scrubbers and air-pollution-control systems. For a fab or a heavy-electronics site discharging 50,000-100,000 m³/day with strict TDS, TOC and trace-organics limits, the implication is that reuse-rate uplift, not raw throughput, is where the next capex lives, with MBR-class biological capacity and polishing media as the typical bottleneck. See Mbr Membrane Systems and Reverse Osmosis Design Criteria 2026: Key Parameters Engineers Use for the unit operations behind such a loop, and the Industries We Serve hub for semiconductor effluent work. Operational follow-on reading: Sludge Thickener Energy Consumption Reduction: 2026 Technology Comparison & ROI Guide.
FAQ
What is the scale of SK hynix's Korean water savings?
SK hynix cut daily water use across its Korean chip plants by an average of 170,000 tons a day last year, with cumulative savings of 303.37 million tons against a 264 million-ton target The Korea Times. In a typical reuse retrofit of this size, tertiary polishing capacity is the binding constraint (general industry range, not from the sources).
Which SK hynix site produces the most reused water today?
The Icheon plant in Gyeonggi Province produces 94,400 tons of reused water a day through an in-plant wastewater recycling facility, feeding it to air pollution control equipment and other systems The Korea Times. Comparable fabs typically specify MBR plus RO to hit fab-grade reuse targets (general industry range, not from the sources).
Where was the SK hynix water programme presented?
The figures were presented at Korea International Water Week 2026 at EXCO in Daegu, a Korea Times report published on 8 September 2026 The Korea Times. Lead time for a turnkey 50,000-100,000 m³/day reuse train typically runs 12-24 months from PO to commissioning (general industry range, not from the sources).
What is the long-term water target for SK hynix?
SK hynix has set a cumulative water-use reduction goal of 600 million tons by 2030, and is targeting 329 million tons of cumulative savings this year The Korea Times. Capital allocation for fab reuse is increasingly weighted to OPEX-saving polishing upgrades rather than greenfield intakes (general industry range, not from the sources).
