[Edaily Reporter Yang Ji-yun ] A system in which multiple pumps share a single pipe in the fire suppression systems of semiconductor factory cleanrooms will now be permitted. With the relaxation of existing regulations—which required separate pipes for each pump—construction periods are expected to be shortened and construction costs reduced.

The National Fire Agency announced that it has prepared a draft notice partially revising the “Detailed Standards for the Safety Management of Hazardous Materials” containing these provisions and will conduct a public notice period from the 20th to the 9th of next month.

Under current standards, individual suction pipes must be installed for each pump to supply water to fire suppression systems. However, critics have pointed out that semiconductor factories often install multiple firewater tanks, leading to complex piping work and significant cost burdens.

Reflecting the unique facility conditions of semiconductor factories and international standards, the National Fire Agency has decided to allow the use of “header-type suction pipes,” in which multiple pumps share a single pipe. The introduction of the header-type system is expected to reduce the scale of piping installation, thereby shortening the construction period for fire suppression systems and cutting construction costs.

Installation standards for fixed foam fire suppression systems will also be streamlined. Regarding the nitrogen gas pressurization method used internationally, plans are in place to expand the types of extinguishing agents that can be used and the range of filling pressures.

Previously, the National Fire Agency amended the “Enforcement Rules of the Act on the Safety Management of Hazardous Materials” to establish special provisions applicable to general handling facilities in semiconductor manufacturing processes. Separate standards were established based on the building structure and compartment layout of semiconductor factories, and standards for ventilation and exhaust systems suitable for cleanrooms were also introduced.

These regulatory improvements were designed to reduce construction delays that could arise from hazardous materials licensing and fire safety regulations—key elements in the construction of semiconductor cluster infrastructure currently underway in the Yongin National Industrial Complex, general industrial complexes, and SuNAM Co., Ltd.

The National Fire Agency is working to resolve regulatory risks for companies by operating the “National Fire Agency–Semiconductor Industry Hazardous Materials Safety Management Working Group” and the “Central and Local Working Group,” both launched last April. Participants in the Semiconductor Hazardous Materials Safety Management Working Group include SamsungElectronics(005930)and SK hynix(000660), DB HiTek Co.,LTD, SK K-Foundry, and the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association.

Regular meetings with the semiconductor industry and fire departments will be held this month to gather feedback on on-site challenges arising from compliance with and enforcement of hazardous materials regulations. Based on this feedback, the agency plans to implement additional regulatory improvements starting this September.

Choi Yong-cheol, Acting Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, stated, “We will fully support the successful completion of the national cutting-edge semiconductor mega-project through bold regulatory reforms that companies can truly feel.”