Rebuilding the nuclear energy ecosystem

We must not repeat the mistake of sacrificing our key industry for political purposes.

Two nuclear reactors — Shin-Hanul units 3 and 4 — gained a go-ahead for construction in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) issued the permit eight years after the request from the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) in 2016 was put on hold under the Moon administration’s nuclear phase-out policy. Reactor additions can help resuscitate the local reactor manufacturing habitat nearly devastated from the phase-out and stabilize future power supplies.

The Shin-Hanul 3 and 4 units were displaced like chess pieces as a result of political whims. After the construction project took off in 2002 under the Kim Dae-jung administration, the required budget was reflected in the long-term power outline in 2014 to gain a formal permit in February 2017. But the project came to a full stop under the liberal Moon administration — and was entirely killed later. The conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which had promised to revive the reactor industry, brought the projects back for review.

The reactor phase-out, which happened without any deep thought on the impact on the country’s energy security and industrial competitiveness, caused massive harm. The domestic reactor industry and talent pool collapsed due to streamlining related departments in universities. Power stability also had been jeopardized because of the delayed construction of reactors. Under the original outline, the third unit in the Shin-Hanul nuclear plant would have been activated in 2022 and the fourth in 2023. The third unit will be operational in 2032 and the fourth in 2033 once constructions start early next month. The completions have been pushed back by 10 years.

Nuclear power has regained the spotlight as a solution to acquire a clean, cheap and reliable energy source amid the surge in energy demand in the highly power-consuming digitalized era backed by chips and AI. Since reliability in renewables is yet to be secured, nuclear fuel can serve as the emission-free energy source during the transition period. The energy crisis heightened by the Russia-Ukraine war also raised the awareness on energy security.

Reactors are essential for the country’s industrial competitiveness. Korea’s reactor supremacy has been recognized, as proven by its exports to the United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic. Having learned its lessons from the policy flip-flops, the country must go all-out to restore the nuclear ecosystem to pave the way for a reactor renaissance. Attention to safety is equally important. The legislature must hasten to pass the Special Act on High-level Radioactive Waste Management. Consistency and continuity matters for the country’s nuclear policy. We must not repeat the mistake of sacrificing our key industry for political purposes.