Inside Opposing Nuclear Phase-Out, Outside Promoting Nuclear Sales? ... Growing Backlash Against Nuclear Phase-Out Policy

South Korea-US Leaders Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in Overseas Nuclear Power Market...Criticism of Contradiction with Nuclear Phase-Out Policy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] As the leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed to cooperate on exporting nuclear power plants to third countries, voices demanding a revision of the 'nuclear phase-out' policy are showing signs of spreading. Critics point out the current administration’s self-contradiction in maintaining a nuclear phase-out stance domestically while promoting nuclear power plant exports overseas.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 24th, President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden stated in a joint declaration on the 21st (local time) that they "agreed to strengthen cooperation in the overseas nuclear power market, including joint participation in nuclear power projects, and to maintain the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation."

The two countries agreed to form a nuclear power supply chain to jointly participate in the overseas nuclear power market and adopt a joint non-proliferation policy, including making the accession to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Additional Protocol a condition for supplying nuclear power plants to the respective countries.

An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, "If the U.S. companies, traditional nuclear power leaders, and our companies, which have excellent equipment supply chains and successfully commercialized Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), establish an optimal overseas nuclear power supply chain, it will greatly contribute to enhancing order competitiveness and strengthening the nuclear ecosystems of both countries."

As South Korea and the U.S. join forces to enter the overseas nuclear power market, expectations are rising for the restoration of the nuclear power ecosystem, which has been weakened by technological decline and workforce outflow due to the nuclear phase-out policy. With major nuclear power countries such as China and Russia continuously securing new nuclear power projects, cooperation with the U.S. in nuclear power exports is expected to contribute to South Korea’s overseas market entry as well.

Some predict that the Korea-U.S. nuclear alliance will lead to increased calls for a U-turn in the nuclear phase-out policy.

President Moon declared the nuclear phase-out in 2017, citing "safety" as one of the main reasons. He said, "We will recognize and address nuclear safety as a national security issue critical to the survival of the country," "(Until now) the lives and safety of the people were secondary," and "a firm social consensus has been established that the lives and safety of the people are paramount." Critics argue that it is contradictory for the president to have declared a nuclear phase-out early in his term due to safety concerns and then announce cooperation on nuclear power plant exports at the Korea-U.S. summit just four years later.

The government explains that domestically, due to high nuclear plant density and seismic risks, no additional plants will be built, and that overseas exports are a separate matter, but this explanation is considered "unconvincing." Even within the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, there are voices that the pace of the nuclear phase-out was too fast.

Several government officials said, "Initially, the goal was to reduce nuclear dependence through legislation, but policy decisions were made as the government started with what it could do, and the boomerang effect of the nuclear phase-out policy was fully felt," adding, "While nuclear reduction is inevitable in the energy transition process, pushing nuclear reduction too rapidly under the rhetoric of nuclear phase-out exacerbated the situation."

Despite difficulties in constructing new nuclear plants due to local opposition and acceptance issues, the current administration politically pushed the nuclear phase-out rapidly without sufficient social consensus, thereby inviting controversy surrounding nuclear power. The suspension of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4, which had received government permits and begun construction, is a clear example of the unilateral nuclear phase-out policy pursued under the current administration. The nuclear industry points out that the government should now reverse the nuclear phase-out policy and establish a realistic energy transition and carbon neutrality implementation plan.

Meanwhile, the U.S., which agreed to cooperate on exporting nuclear power plants to third countries at this summit, recently extended the lifespan of some nuclear plants to a maximum of 80 years. Earlier this month, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the second license renewal for Units 1 and 2 of the Surry Nuclear Power Plant in Virginia, which began commercial operation in 1972-1973. With this decision, the number of nuclear plants approved for 80-year operation in the U.S. has increased to six.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.