‘역대 최대’ 26조 예산 받는 기후부…메가프로젝트·전기차에 2조씩 투입

The Ministry of Environment, overseeing climate energy and environmental affairs, will allocate approximately 2 trillion won each to mega-projects such as semiconductor industrial zones and AI data centers, as well as to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in the coming year. This brings the total budget to a record high of 26 trillion won, up from the previous year's figure.

The Ministry announced that the total expenditure for 2027 would increase by 3,937 billion won, or 18.3%, compared to last year. The budget plan is set to be submitted to the National Assembly for review and finalized by December.

For the mega-projects, 1,935.1 billion won will be allocated for supplying power and water, with 5,724 billion won going towards energy storage devices (ESS) and 658 billion won for building demand-driven transformers in areas with insufficient power infrastructure. The government will also provide a loan of 8,500 billion won to alleviate Korea Electric Power Corporation's (KEPCO) ongoing burden.

Additionally, 350 billion won will be invested in welfare and special support for vulnerable groups, while an extra 5,000 billion won will be contributed to KEPCO.

In terms of water supply, 1,196 billion won will be allocated to semiconductor industrial zones in the Hoseong region, while 81 billion won will be provided for semiconductor and display industries in the Chungcheong and other advanced sectors. The Korea Water Resources Corporation will receive 2,500 billion won. The electric vehicle expansion will amount to an unprecedented 2,140.3 billion won, up 32.8% from this year's 1,611.4 billion won.

The number of electric passenger cars will rise from 26 million this year to 36.0816 million next year, while the number of electric trucks will increase from 3.5837 million to 6.1 million, and the number of electric buses will rise from 3.8 million to 4.7 million. Electric conversion incentives for taxi fleets and delivery e-bikes will be increased from 10% to 50%.