SeAH Besteel, First Domestic Export of 'Spent Nuclear Fuel Transport and Storage Cask' to the US

Global Nuclear Material Transport Company Orano TN Exporting Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Containers

SeAH Besteel executives and employees are taking a commemorative photo in front of the finished product of the 'Spent Nuclear Fuel Transport and Storage Cask (CASK),' which is being exported to the United States for the first time in Korea. Photo by SeAH Besteel

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] SeAH Besteel announced on the 7th that it will export the finished product of the 'Spent Nuclear Fuel Transport and Storage Cask (CASK)' to the United States for the first time in Korea.

SeAH Besteel will supply the first three initial units of the 17 spent nuclear fuel transport and storage casks ordered from Orano TN in September 2019, the first in Korea, to the advanced nuclear power market in the United States. The spent nuclear fuel transport and storage cask is a container that safely transports and stores nuclear fuel used during nuclear power plant operation. It is an essential product not only for the operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants but also for safely handling nuclear fuel during nuclear power plant decommissioning.

The spent nuclear fuel transport and storage casks to be delivered by SeAH Besteel this time will be supplied to energy companies in the United States through Orano TN. Since the order in 2019, SeAH Besteel has established a mass production system for spent nuclear fuel transport and storage casks by securing technological reliability through product design, assembly, and heat transfer testing in accordance with international nuclear standards for over three years. They plan to proceed with additional supply of initial units within this year.

SeAH Besteel plans to actively respond to the demand in the domestic and global nuclear power plant decommissioning markets. Prior to this finished product delivery, SeAH Besteel participated in the domestic delivery project of spent nuclear fuel transport and storage casks supplied to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power through collaboration with Orano TN, verifying the production technology of the cask products through quality testing, assembly, and inspection. They are also participating as a commissioned research institute in a national project for the localization of the spent nuclear fuel deep disposal system and are developing disposal casks for the deep disposal system together with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the global nuclear power plant decommissioning market is expected to reach approximately KRW 550 trillion by 2050. The domestic nuclear power market is also facing saturation of most temporary storage facilities as a total of 12 nuclear power plants will be permanently shut down by 2030, starting with Kori Unit 1 in 2017. Therefore, demand for spent nuclear fuel storage casks in the domestic and international nuclear power plant decommissioning markets is expected to increase.

A SeAH Besteel official said, "Through the delivery of the initial spent nuclear fuel transport and storage casks, SeAH Besteel's manufacturing technology has been recognized in the U.S. nuclear power market, which requires strict delivery standards." He added, "We expect the spent nuclear fuel transport and storage cask business to grow as a new growth engine in the non-automotive special steel sector by expanding orders in the domestic and global nuclear power plant decommissioning markets."

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