Climate Ministry to Build 5 of 14 New Dams… 2 Sites to Use Rivers and Reservoirs Instead

Construction to Be Halted at Seven Sites, Saving 3 Trillion Won

All-Out Effort for Timely Water Supply to National High-Tech Industrial Complexes

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has decided to proceed with the construction of five out of the 14 new dams initiated under the previous administration, while two sites will shift to alternative projects. Construction will be halted for the remaining seven. The total project budget, originally estimated at 4.75 trillion won, will be reduced to approximately 1.67 trillion won, and the savings will be invested in strengthening the nation’s flood defense capabilities.

On August 27, the ministry announced the finalized plans for seven new dams that had undergone thorough re-evaluation and expert-driven public discussion. Accordingly, construction will move forward for the Jicheon Dam (Cheongyang and Buyeo), Amicheon Dam (Yeoncheon), Byeongyeongcheon Dam (Gangjin), Hoeya River Dam (Ulsan), and Gohyeoncheon Dam (Geoje). Instead of new dams, alternative projects utilizing existing water resource facilities and rivers will be implemented for Gamcheon Dam (Gimcheon) and Garyecheon Dam (Uiryeong).

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Construction of Five Sites: Considering Both Flood Defense and Water Supply

The Jicheon Dam was originally reviewed with a focus on flood control, prompted by the heavy rainfall damage in 2023. However, with new water needs emerging due to major projects in the Chungcheong region, it has been repurposed as a multipurpose dam. Once completed, it will supply 180,000 tons of water per day to the Geum River basin, including Cheongyang and Buyeo, and provide defense against floods with a 100-year recurrence interval.

Minister Kim Seong-hwan commented at a briefing that “there was considerable debate over whether it was better to build a dam or upgrade river maintenance for flood defense. Recently, it was determined that, in addition to flood control, water supply is also necessary in the Chungcheong area, so it was decided to construct it as a multipurpose dam.”

The Amicheon Dam will be built as a multipurpose dam to protect Yeoncheon’s urban area from flooding and to meet the water demands of the Imjin River basin, including Yeoncheon and Paju, which lack their own water sources. It will supply 80,000 tons of water per day and mitigate floods with a 100-year recurrence interval. During site investigations, a higher upstream location was found where the same reservoir volume could be secured with a smaller dam, reducing the project cost. As a result, the budget decreased from the original 905.9 billion won to 748.7 billion won. The ministry explained that relocating the dam improved civil engineering efficiency and reduced costs.

The Byeongyeongcheon Dam will be constructed downstream of the existing dam, adding flood control functions. Its scale will be reduced from the initial plan to lower the budget from 120 billion won to 96.5 billion won, securing a 600,000-ton reservoir for flood control. For the Hoeya River Dam, spillway gates will be installed on the existing overflow river, securing an 8.1 million ton flood control capacity and aiming to reduce flood volume in downstream urban areas by around 20%.

The Geoje Gohyeoncheon Dam will involve raising the height of the existing reservoir and installing gates. Its flood control capacity will increase from the original 400,000 tons to 620,000 tons through operational improvements. As this area has experienced severe rainfall damage in recent years, the agricultural reservoir function will be reduced, but the flood defense function will remain essential.

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Two Sites Will Use Existing Facilities Instead of New Dams

For Gamcheon Dam, the approach will shift to enhancing the flood control capacity of the nearby Gimcheon Buhang Dam and upgrading the river. The ministry believes flood defense objectives can be met without building a new dam by securing an additional 6 million tons of flood control capacity at Gimcheon Buhang Dam and upgrading the river bottlenecks in Gimcheon’s urban area.

The budget for the original Gamcheon Dam construction was estimated at 197 billion won, but the alternative project will cost only around 15 billion won. The ministry explained that, although previous studies suggested it would be difficult to secure extra flood control capacity at Gimcheon Buhang Dam, this recent review concluded that up to 6 million tons can be added.

The Garyecheon Dam project will also be replaced by raising the nearby Gami Reservoir and managing it jointly, rather than raising an existing dam. By utilizing the existing channel that connects the Seoam Reservoir and Gami Reservoir for flood control, experts believe this strategy will be more effective than expanding a new dam. The ministry noted that previous evaluations did not thoroughly assess the potential of this channel, but the latest review found that using it can provide flood control without large additional costs.

Construction Halted on Seven Sites: 3 Trillion Won in Savings to Be Invested in River Upgrades

As a result of this decision, construction will not proceed at seven locations: Yanggu Suipcheon Dam, Danyang Danyangcheon Dam, Suncheon Okcheon Dam, Yecheon Yongducheon Dam, Cheongdo Unmuncheon Dam, Samcheok Sangicheon Dam, and Hwasun Dongbokcheon Dam. These sites were deemed to have low necessity or faced strong community opposition during last year’s detailed re-evaluations.

Minister Kim explained that the total reservoir capacity of the 14 dams amounts to only about 300 million tons, making it difficult to regard these projects as vital countermeasures to the climate crisis. To address extreme rainfall and drought, it is necessary to use rivers and existing water resources nationwide, rather than focusing dam construction in certain areas.

3 Trillion Won in Savings to Be Invested in Nationwide Flood Defense The original budget for all 14 new dams was set at 4.7517 trillion won, but with the latest decision, the budget for the seven sites that will proceed with construction or alternatives will be reduced to 1.6682 trillion won. This results in cost savings of approximately 3 trillion won. The ministry plans to use these savings to improve the country’s flood defense capabilities, including interconnecting dams, integrating agricultural reservoirs, power dams, and estuary banks, as well as investing in large-scale urban retention basins and river upgrades.

The possibility of additional dam construction remains open. On this matter, Minister Kim stated, “Whether to pursue additional dams will depend on future water demand and the climate crisis. If necessary, we will not rule out further construction.” The five dams approved for construction will undergo preliminary and feasibility studies, strategic environmental impact assessments, and the formulation and announcement of master construction plans before a final decision is made. The ministry will inform local communities of review results and future plans as the procedures progress. Minister Kim emphasized, “We will develop optimal strategies for water resource utilization, including new dam construction, to minimize flood and drought damage and provide timely water supply to national industrial complexes and other areas where needed.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.