Summary
□ The Korean government is taking steps to ensure the successful transition of energy sources at the national level based on the Energy Transition Roadmap, which was announced in 2017, while also implementing its follow-up measures and supplementary strategies. A case in point is the government’s attempt to proceed with the early shutdown of Wolsong Unit 1.
○ The early shutdown of Wolsong Unit 1 was announced on the occasion of the issuance of the Energy Transition Roadmap and the 8th Basic Plan on Electricity Demand and Supply. Subsequently, in June 2018, the Board of Directors of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) held a board meeting and voted to implement follow-up measures to support the government policy.
○ With these efforts, Wolsong Unit 1 became Korea’s second nuclear power plant to be shut down permanently, following the June 2017 shutdown of Kori Unit 1, and the first of the country’s heavy water type reactors.
□ In line with the government’s energy transition initiative, more and more nuclear power plants will be permanently shut down going forward. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for technologies capable of providing safe and effective ways of decommissioning the country’s nuclear power plans.
□ Government agencies, including the Ministry of Science and ICT and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, are currently developing 96 technologies necessary for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, considering domestic and international nuclear-decommissioning markets.
○ To be more specific, 38 core base technologies (according to the Ministry of Science and ICT, 28 items have been selected and 10 items are to be selected) and 58 commercialization technologies (according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, 42 items selected and 16 items to be selected) are under development.
○ Korea’s rate of technology independence for nuclear decommissioning has reached over 80%, and the country continues to invest in relevant technology advances to proactively seize global market opportunities.
□ Against this backdrop, this Issue Paper aims to assess the level and current status of the county’s nuclear-decommissioning technology currently under development, and to further examine and analyze the corresponding commercialization strategies and pending issues associated with the country’s future entry into domestic and international decommissioning markets.
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