Yoon vows full-fledged support for nuclear power industry
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday his government will provide full-fledged support to revitalize the nuclear energy industry by constructing new reactors and supporting export bids.
Yoon outlined the plan during a ceremony to commemorate the completion of the Shin-Hanul 1 and 2 units, and groundbreaking for the Shin-Hanul 3 and 4 units in Uljin, located about 215 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
"The Shin-Hanul 1 and 2 units are the first reactors completed under our administration, and the 3 and 4 units are the first to begin construction," Yoon said during the ceremony. "Going forward, we will continue to hold groundbreaking and completion ceremonies for our nuclear plants not only in South Korea but around the world."
The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) applied for construction licenses for the 1,400-megawatt reactors in 2016, but the process was halted in 2017 under the previous government's nuclear phase-out policy. South Korea's nuclear watchdog granted the license last month, clearing the way for construction.
Yoon has reversed the previous government's nuclear phase-out policy over the past 2 1/2 years to meet growing power demand with carbon-free energy sources and export homegrown nuclear reactors.
Yoon said his government will revitalize the nuclear energy ecosystem by constructing new plants, extending the operation of existing reactors, promoting export reactors and pushing for the construction of small modular reactors.
He pinned hope on the growing global nuclear power export market, which could reach as much as 1,000 trillion won (US$722.9 billion), and pledged support to help the KHNP sign a final deal to export nuclear reactors to the Czech Republic.
"We will use the Czech nuclear project as a stepping stone to further expand export opportunities for our nuclear industry," he said, vowing efforts to normalize the nuclear industry ecosystem.
In July, the KHNP was selected as a preferred bidder to build two nuclear power units in the Czech Republic, a deal estimated at around 24 trillion won.
If finalized, the deal will mark South Korea's second nuclear power plant export, following its 2009 project in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea currently operates 26 atomic power plants, which supply about 30 percent of the nation's electricity. The number is expected to rise to 30 when the construction of four more reactors is completed. The Saeul 3 and 4 reactors in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, are currently under construction.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
