On 11 September 2026, Samsung Electronics unveiled plans to reuse about 330,000 tons per day of treated municipal wastewater as industrial water for its semiconductor fabs at Korea International Water Week (KIWW) 2026 in Daegu, drawing a clear line between public-sector effluent and private fab intake (Chosunbiz). SK hynix used the same stage to push a 600 million-ton cumulative water-saving target by 2030, signalling that reuse rather than fresh withdrawal is the new procurement axis for Korean chipmakers.
Key takeaways
- Samsung Electronics will draw about 120,000 t/day of treated wastewater from the Hwaseong-Osan area and about 210,000 t/day from the Suwon area, totalling 330,000 t/day of reclaimed industrial water (Chosunbiz).
- SK hynix raised its cumulative water-savings target to 600 million tons by 2030, up from 329 million tons targeted for 2026 (Chosunbiz).
- SK hynix's reuse volume climbed about 54%, from 47.88 million tons in 2022 to 73.59 million tons in 2025, with its Icheon site producing 94,400 t/day of reclaimed water (Chosunbiz).
- SK hynix's domestic reuse rate rose from 44% in 2023 to 47% in 2025, while Samsung Electronics' DS division reused 107.96 million tons last year at an estimated ~40% rate, against TSMC's 88.1% in 2024 (아시아경제).
- Both companies exhibited at KIWW 2026, hosted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, Daegu Metropolitan City, K-water and K-eco, framing reuse as a national policy outcome as well as a fab-level decision (Chosunbiz).
What happened
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix attended Korea International Water Week (KIWW) 2026 at EXCO in Daegu from 9 to 11 September and laid out two parallel water strategies built on reuse rather than new abstraction (Chosunbiz). Samsung is reducing in-house water use through process improvement and equipment efficiency, and is now preparing, with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and local governments, a project that takes effluent from public sewage treatment plants and further purifies it to industrial-water quality for semiconductors (Chosunbiz). The volumes are split between the Hwaseong-Osan area at about 120,000 t/day and the Suwon area at about 210,000 t/day, totalling about 330,000 t/day, and Samsung says the scheme will cut its existing dependence on Suwon while stabilising supply for chip output (Chosunbiz).
SK hynix used the same platform to harden its numerical targets. The company reports that domestic sites cut daily water use by an average of 170,000 tons last year, equivalent to about 550,000 people of domestic daily use, and that its water and wastewater reduction task force, in operation since 2018, has reached 303.37 million tons of cumulative savings, already above the previous 264 million-ton goal (Chosunbiz). The next milestones are 329 million tons in 2026 and 600 million tons by 2030, supported by the Icheon reuse facility at 94,400 t/day and the Cheongju site, which in 2023 became the first Korean semiconductor plant to take externally treated wastewater for reuse (Chosunbiz).
The two announcements are taking shape against rising fab demand. Combined water intake at Samsung Electronics' DS division and SK hynix's domestic sites hit an all-time high of 262.51 million tons in 2025, up about 33% on 2018, with the DS division alone at 179.01 million tons and SK hynix at 83.5 million tons (아시아경제). The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment estimates the planned southwestern semiconductor cluster will need 650,000 t/day, and industry observers argue that improving reuse rates is now the priority over new reservoir capacity (아시아경제). A Samsung Electronics official said, "We plan to continue strengthening a sustainable water resources management system that further improves water-use efficiency and expands reuse through technological innovation and public-private cooperation, while also considering the nature and ecosystems near our establishment" (Chosunbiz). An SK hynix official added, "We will continue to advance our water resources management system so that we use less of the water essential to semiconductor production and maximize reuse of the water we do use," pledging steady investment in process improvements and related technologies and facilities (Chosunbiz).
Scale of the two programmes, as reported
| Company | Reported reuse or intake figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics | 330,000 t/day of treated wastewater for fab reuse (120,000 t/day Hwaseong-Osan, 210,000 t/day Suwon) | Chosunbiz |
| Samsung Electronics DS division | 107.96 million tons reused in 2025; 179.01 million tons intake | 아시아경제 |
| SK hynix (Icheon) | 94,400 t/day of reclaimed water to scrubbers and reuse loops | Chosunbiz |
| SK hynix (domestic) | 73.59 million tons reused in 2025; 47% reuse rate; 600 million-ton target by 2030 | Chosunbiz |
Specification read
Putting the headline figure into buyer units, 330,000 t/day of treated wastewater is 330,000 m³/day, or 330 MLD, of industrial-grade reclaimed water destined for wafer-cleaning and scrubber loops at Samsung's Hwaseong-Osan and Suwon fabs (Chosunbiz). The South Korean standard population equivalent sits at roughly 200 litres per person per day, so 330,000 m³/day is equivalent to the domestic demand of about 1.65 million people being diverted from a municipal outfall into fab service water (아시아경제). For a class of project at this scale, the typical train runs screening, grit removal and primary clarification, followed by a biological stage such as A2O, MBR or MBBR to drop organics and nitrogen, then tertiary treatment that includes DAF, filtration, GAC, ion exchange or RO, and finishing with UV or ozone disinfection; this event bears most directly on the polishing end of the train, where secondary municipal effluent must be lifted to ultra-pure-water feed specification, the same regime referenced by industry voices who noted that purifying used water back to ultra-pure-water levels costs more than treating regular water and is a key indicator of a plant's water management capability (아시아경제). If your plant handles municipal or industrial secondary effluent in the 100,000-400,000 m³/day range with BOD/COD typically above the 20 mg/L ultra-pure-water ceiling, and you face reuse-rate or supply-stability pressure tied to a fab or microelectronics off-taker, this is the kind of public-private reclaimed-water scheme that will define the next round of Korean tenders. Two reference pages that sit on this same specification are the Mbr Membrane Systems and Water Purification hubs, and the related piece Samsung to reuse 330,000 t/day of treated wastewater at Korean fabs, Sept 2026, with further process context in MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Semiconductor Wastewater in Saint Petersburg, FL: 2026 Process Guide and MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Semiconductor Wastewater in Richardson, TX (2026 Engineering Guide).
FAQ
How much water is Samsung planning to reuse at its Korean fabs?
About 330,000 t/day in total, split as roughly 120,000 t/day from the Hwaseong-Osan area and 210,000 t/day from the Suwon area, drawing on treated wastewater from public sewage plants rather than new reservoirs (Chosunbiz).
How does that compare with SK hynix's targets?
SK hynix is targeting 329 million tons of cumulative water savings in 2026 and 600 million tons by 2030, and lifted domestic reuse to 47% with 73.59 million tons reused in 2025 (Chosunbiz). It still trails TSMC, which reported an 88.1% reuse rate in 2024 (아시아경제).
What is the typical treatment train for fab-grade reclaimed water at this scale?
For a 100,000-400,000 m³/day scheme polishing secondary effluent to industrial or ultra-pure-water feed, expect screening and grit removal, biological treatment such as A2O or MBR for organics and nitrogen, tertiary DAF, filtration, GAC, ion exchange or RO, and UV or ozone disinfection (general industry range, not from the sources). Comparable fab-grade projects are discussed in the MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Semiconductor Wastewater in Saint Petersburg, FL: 2026 Process Guide and MBR vs Conventional Activated Sludge for Semiconductor Wastewater in Richardson, TX (2026 Engineering Guide) articles.
What budget envelope and lead time should a buyer plan for at this scale?
Reclaimed-to-ultra-pure-water schemes are described as significantly more expensive than standard water treatment because the polishing stages are complex and yield-sensitive (general industry range, not from the sources). Major public-private reclaimed-water builds in this class typically run on multi-year execution timelines, with the Samsung and SK hynix programmes themselves framed as 2030-horizon commitments (Chosunbiz). Suppliers should be evaluated on tertiary and membrane capability as well as on biological stage, mirroring the Mbr Membrane Systems and Water Purification reference pages.
