Appointing Energy Transition Policy Chief as Key Figure for Mega Projects... Tasked with Solving 38GW Power Crunch

"Energy Veteran" Wonju Lee Tapped as New Blue House Senior Advisor for Mega Projects
Tasked with Coordinating Power, Water, and Regulatory Challenges Across Ministries and Local Governments

Wonju Lee, Special Advisor for Megaprojects at the Blue House

The government has appointed Wonju Lee, who previously served as Director General of Energy Transition Policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment, as the new Senior Advisor for Mega Projects at the Blue House. This move signals an acceleration in the establishment of power infrastructure required for large-scale investments in advanced industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. As more than 38 GW of additional power demand is projected from the three major mega projects alone, the decision to bring an experienced energy official overseeing power industry, grid, nuclear, and renewable energy policies into the Blue House is widely interpreted as a strategy to directly coordinate Korea's electricity supply challenges.

According to government sources on August 31, Senior Advisor Lee will be responsible for monitoring the progress of major government-led projects such as semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers. He will also coordinate the interests among ministries, local governments, and corporations involved in these mega projects.

The Blue House has created this dedicated advisor position for mega projects because numerous issues must be resolved for large-scale corporate investments to be realized in actual factories and data centers. In last month’s public-private mega project assessment meeting, the Blue House stated that the government must preemptively secure critical infrastructure including land, electricity, water, and roads. The administration underscored its intention to establish a dedicated body within the Blue House to oversee the progress of each project and to coordinate disagreements among ministries.

Among these challenges, securing sufficient power is considered the most serious. According to outlooks presented at a recent policy forum preparing for the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, additional power demand is estimated at about 18.4 GW for AI data centers and 20 GW for semiconductor clusters, totaling approximately 38.4 GW. When converted to annual electricity use, this amounts to about 260 TWh, which exceeds 40% of Korea’s total electricity generation of 596 TWh last year.

The main problem is that it takes much longer to secure power plants and transmission networks than to build semiconductor factories or data centers. To provide large-scale power stably, not only generation facilities but also transmission networks to deliver electricity to consumer sites must be constructed. Building transmission lines involves numerous hurdles, such as site selection, local resident acceptance, and coordination with local governments.

The government’s decision to place Senior Advisor Lee, a career energy policy official, at the forefront reflects these challenges. Lee has previously served as Director of the Power Industry Division, Director of Power Innovation Policy, Director of Energy Transition Policy, and Director of Energy Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. After the launch of the Ministry of Climate last year, he took charge as Director General of Energy Transition Policy, effectively overseeing the nation’s entire suite of power industry, grid, nuclear, and renewable energy policies. He has also been involved in recent policy measures, such as the government’s newly announced region-specific industrial electricity rates.

Power supply issues for the mega projects are expected to require cross-ministry coordination at the highest level, highlighting the importance of the Blue House’s role. This is because work involving power facilities, grid construction, industrial complex development, water supply, environmental permits, and consultations with local governments and residents is interconnected across several government agencies and departments. In response, the government has been increasing oversight of the mega projects, holding monthly joint public-private meetings presided over by President Jae-myung Lee to review the progress of key projects in each region and to manage them until corporate investment plans lead to actual project completion.

Accordingly, the first major test for Advisor Lee is expected to be whether he can secure key infrastructure—especially power and water—on time for large-scale advanced industry investments. Since the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand will clarify future energy mix and transmission grid expansion measures, the most critical task remains how to align mega project electricity demand with the national electricity plan.

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