Critics Call for End to Nuclear Phase-out Policy
The South Korean government plans to start construction of nuclear decommissioning research centers next year in its bid to create a new nuclear market that can replace the nuclear power generation industry.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on April 21 that it has set aside 322.3 billion won to launch the project in the second half of 2021. It plans to build a main research center on the border between the southern port cities of Busan and Ulsan and a branch in Gyeongju.
The research labs will focus on the development and commercialization of safe decommissioning technologies that will also help make Korea a leader in nuclear decommissioning.
State-run energy firms, including Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., will inject 193.4 billion won into the plan, with the central and regional governments investing the remaining 128.9 billion won.
The incumbent government has been seeking to reduce dependence on nuclear power, while expanding the use of sustainable resources. Eleven out of 24 reactors in South Korea are set to retire by the end of 2030. The government says that the nuclear decommissioning industry can create jobs that are lost by its ill-advised nuclear phase-out policy.
Yet industry analysts say that the nuclear decommissioning market is too small to replace the nuclear power generation market. They say that the nuclear phase-out policy needs to be scrapped before promoting the nuclear decommissioning business.