en.Wedoany.com Reported - Wedoany News, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. announced on June 17 that a site evaluation committee composed of external experts held a meeting that day and selected Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, as the location for two large nuclear power plants with a total installed capacity of 2.8 GW, and Gijang-gun, Busan, as the site for a 0.7 GW small modular reactor (SMR).
The evaluation committee conducted a comprehensive assessment of Yeongdeok-gun and Ulju-gun, Ulsan, which applied for the large nuclear power plants, as well as Gyeongju-si and Gijang-gun, which applied for the SMR. Scoring items included site suitability, environmental suitability, construction suitability, and resident acceptance, each accounting for 25 points. Yeongdeok-gun scored 91.01 points, surpassing Ulju-gun (82.63 points), while Gijang-gun scored 87.11 points, exceeding Gyeongju-si (84.56 points). Yeongdeok-gun performed notably well in resident acceptance (23.74 points) and site suitability (23.20 points), while Gijang-gun received high scores in construction suitability (23.60 points).
This site selection is based on the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, finalized in February last year. According to the plan, the two large nuclear power plants are targeted for completion between 2037 and 2038, while the SMR is targeted for power generation by 2035. The plan was initially shelved after a change in government but was confirmed by the Ministry of Climate and Energy in January this year to proceed as originally scheduled.
The candidate site in Yeongdeok-gun covers an area of approximately 1.04 million square meters, about three times the area required for a typical nuclear power plant. The site was designated as the planned location for the Cheonji Nuclear Power Plant in 2012, but the project was canceled in 2017 under the Moon Jae-in administration. In February this year, Yeongdeok-gun conducted a survey of about 1,400 residents, with 86% of respondents in favor of building the nuclear power plant, citing reasons such as revitalizing the local economy and creating jobs. Yeongdeok-gun Governor Kim Gwang-yeol stated that this is a historic decision that will open a new chapter for Yeongdeok's future over the next 100 years.
The SMR candidate site in Gijang-gun is located within the Gori Nuclear Power Plant site, where administrative procedures for a "planned power development site" have already been completed, and infrastructure such as transmission networks is already in place. Busan City and Gijang-gun authorities stated that Gijang is where South Korea's first nuclear power plant, Gori Unit 1, began operation in 1978, making the launch of the SMR project there highly significant.
Ulju-gun expressed regret over not being selected. Ulju-gun Governor Lee Soon-jae stated that residents across the county voluntarily participated in a signature campaign, and 21 social groups jointly formed a committee to support the bid. He said they will discuss response strategies with residents, including making another attempt in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. Gyeongju-si also expressed regret but emphasized that it will continue to strive for future SMR projects to be located there.
Three academic organizations, including the Korean Nuclear Society, recently proposed in a policy recommendation that to maintain nuclear power's share of total electricity generation at 35% by 2050, South Korea would need to build 20 large nuclear power plants and 12 SMRs. According to data from the Korea Energy Economics Institute, as of February last year, a total of 127 SMRs were under development globally, including 27 in the United States, 10 in France, 6 in Japan, 5 each in China and Russia, and 4 in South Korea.
South Korea's Ministry of Climate and Energy is expected to issue construction permits in the early 2030s. The most recent construction permit for a nuclear power plant in South Korea was granted in September 2024 for Units 3 and 4 of the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, with completion targeted for 2032 to 2033.
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