Full-Scale Launch of Core Technology Development for Spent Nuclear Fuel Management

Used Nuclear Fuel Management Core Technology Development Project Group "Research Full-Scale Launch"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The development project for core technologies essential for interim storage and permanent disposal, necessary to solve the long-term management issue of spent nuclear fuel, is being actively promoted.

The foundation 'Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Core Technology Development Project Group' announced on the 26th that it has officially launched a project this year with a budget of 41.2 billion KRW to develop core technologies for safely storing and permanently disposing of spent nuclear fuel, as well as regulatory element technology development required for deep disposal safety review.

This is a multi-ministerial joint project involving the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, with a total investment of 424.65 billion KRW planned by 2027. Roles are divided among ministries, and the project is designed for linked implementation to enable technology commercialization. To maximize synergy and efficiency through inter-ministerial cooperation and collaboration, the project group was established and has been operating since the end of last year. Officially launched on April 1 this year, the project group has gone through detailed planning and task selection procedures and is now on track.

To secure domestic technology for safely managing spent nuclear fuel stored at each nuclear power plant, the project consists of three strategic tasks covering storage, disposal, and safety regulation fields, and seven focused tasks. The lead research and development institutions are the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Radioactive Waste Agency, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, and Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. Joint or commissioned institutions include 18 organizations from industry such as Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. and Korea Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd., 17 universities including Seoul National University from academia, and research institutes such as the Korea Institute of Materials Science.

'Spent nuclear fuel' refers to nuclear fuel that has been used and withdrawn from nuclear power plants. Unlike 'fresh nuclear fuel,' it emits high heat and radioactivity, requiring a systematic and safe management system to store it for a certain period to reduce heat and radioactivity before permanent disposal. The task to establish a safety regulatory foundation for the deep disposal system plans to independently develop regulatory elements and safety verification technologies for the deep disposal system separately from the development of spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal technologies, thereby securing objectivity and reliability of technologies related to deep disposal.

The final performance goal is to compile the developed core technologies into a safety demonstration report reviewed by international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and to secure about 40 core technologies for spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal safety demonstration that meet regulatory requirements.

Project Group Leader Kim Kyung-soo stated, "Like Finland and Sweden, Korea must gradually proceed through a demonstration process of the safety of deep disposal technology over a long period of research to develop a disposal system suitable for domestic geological conditions for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel and to verify its performance and safety. We will take step-by-step measures to achieve this." He added, "We will do our best to successfully lead all tasks to timely secure spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal technologies and, as the control tower for spent nuclear fuel-related research and development, solve the spent nuclear fuel issue and contribute to realizing a society where citizens feel safe."

The core technologies secured by the project group will be directly utilized in the future for the construction of domestic spent nuclear fuel management facilities after demonstration in underground research facilities.

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