**Boryeong to Transform from Power Production Site to Future Industry Hub with AI Data Center Investment of 2 Trillion Won**
Boryeong in Chungnam Province has secured a significant investment that will completely transform the region’s industrial “makeup.” Moving beyond its traditional role as a coal energy production city, Boryeong has declared its intention to become a ‘local production for local consumption’ future city that consumes its own generated power while nurturing high-tech industries.
According to Chungnam Province and the City of Boryeong, Woongcheon AI Campus signed an investment agreement for the creation of an AI-specialized data center worth 2 trillion won in the provincial government’s large conference room on the 18th. This is the largest-scale investment in the history of business attraction in Boryeong.
The project will be carried out in the Woongcheon General Industrial Complex on a 100,000-square-meter site, with the construction of a 100MW-class data center planned from 2026 to 2029 using the public-private partnership (PF) method. The center will be equipped with high-performance equipment for AI learning and inference, combined with eco-friendly power sources such as fuel cells and solar power to create a model that ensures “power efficiency and sustainability.”
Attracting the data center carries significance beyond merely adding another industrial facility. Traditionally, Boryeong has been a representative “energy supply city,” providing electricity and water to the Seoul metropolitan area and the Chungcheong region through thermal power and the Boryeong Dam. However, this project creates a structure where the power generated is consumed locally, reducing the load on centralized power grids and serving as a “policy transition example” to accommodate the era of decentralized data centers.
In conjunction with the data center, an AI startup R&D center will also be established. Boryeong aims to link this with regional youth entrepreneurship and strengthen the startup ecosystem, forming a cyclical structure of “AI industry-energy industry-local economy.” The city expects new employment for about 150 people, attraction of related industries, and a ripple effect on the economy, including expanded consumption of local agricultural and livestock products.
Boryeong’s core message is clear: transitioning from an energy production city to an AI-based future city. Mayor Kim Dong-il stated, “This agreement equips Boryeong with the growth engine for the next 100 years,” adding, “We will comprehensively foster the AI industry to contribute to strengthening the digital competitiveness of the Chungcheong region.”
During the project, Chungnam Province is also hopeful about the “demonstration model of energy transition policy,” aligning with the government’s direction of alleviating grid overload and promoting regional decentralization. Chungnam Province and Boryeong City plan to provide full administrative support, including permits, infrastructure, and corporate linkage, to ensure initial project momentum.
This investment is seen as laying the groundwork for Boryeong, with its foundation in the marine, cultural, and energy sectors, to transform into a “convergent future city” with AI infrastructure.