Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu: "Small Modular Reactors Are the Solution to Carbon Neutrality" ... Fostering as a Future Growth Industry

Mayor Heo Seong-mu of Changwon City, Gyeongnam, is speaking about SMR development at the 54th Annual General Meeting of the Korean Nuclear Society held at the Changwon Convention Center on the 20th of last month.
[Image source=Changwon City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Mayor Heo Seong-mu of Changwon City has decided to devote administrative efforts to fostering the small modular reactor (SMR) industry.

At the executive meeting on the 5th, Mayor Heo stated the city’s policy direction, saying, "Developing small modular reactors (SMRs) in Changwon, where a robust nuclear industry cooperation system is established, is an important opportunity to upgrade industrial competitiveness."

SMRs are reactors that integrate major equipment such as the reactor, steam generator, coolant pump, and pressurizer into a single container.

The capacity is about one-tenth that of conventional large nuclear power plants, applying a new design concept that significantly enhances safety and usability.

Regarding safety, SMRs can be maintained without external power or coolant supply, and the incidence of serious accidents is known to be about one-thousandth that of existing large nuclear power plants.

Using electricity generated by nuclear power and high-temperature steam, SMRs can produce decarbonized hydrogen and freshwater, making them applicable to various industries beyond power generation and thus evaluated as eco-friendly energy.

More than 70 types of SMRs are being developed in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and Europe. U.S. President Joe Biden has also announced a policy to foster micro nuclear reactors as a way to achieve carbon neutrality.

Korea officially announced the development of innovative SMRs at the 9th Nuclear Promotion Committee held last December. This year, after preliminary feasibility studies, the technology development project will be fully launched.

If SMR development is confirmed as a national project, a total budget of 583.2 billion KRW will be invested from 2023 to 2028 to commercially develop small modular reactors.

Changwon City is aligning with the government’s policy direction by hosting seminars to foster the small modular industry in industry, academia, and research sectors, and is building networks to promote related industries.

On the 20th of last month, the 'Small Modular Reactor Industry Promotion Workshop' was held at the Changwon Convention Center, co-hosted by private and public industrial organizations including the Korean Nuclear Society, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, and Gyeongnam Technopark.

At that time, more than 170 participants from about 40 companies joined both online and offline, attracting interest from nuclear power industry companies.

Changwon City’s strategy is to actively foster the SMR industry as a future new growth engine for Changwon to ensure the sustainable growth of nuclear power and achieve carbon neutrality.

A second seminar reflecting the opinions of demand companies, targeting nuclear power partners including Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, is planned.

Mayor Heo said, "SMRs, designated as the next-generation new growth industry of Changwon, are carbon-neutral problem solvers equipped with safety, economic feasibility, and eco-friendliness," adding, "SMRs produced in Changwon will accelerate the era of carbon neutrality."

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