[Opinion] The Spent Nuclear Fuel Issue Must Be Resolved Now

Professor Jeong Dong-wook, Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Chung-Ang University.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has raised the banner of becoming a "nuclear power nation." Domestically, the goal is to increase the share of nuclear power generation to over 30%, and internationally, to actively promote nuclear power exports. Expanding the use of nuclear power for carbon neutrality is a global trend. Geopolitically, as a country akin to an energy island, South Korea cannot avoid this trend. However, as those opposing nuclear power argue, the expansion of nuclear power use cannot be advocated unconditionally without solving the spent nuclear fuel issue.

The current government declared a phase-out of nuclear power in 2017, and the construction of Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6 was subjected to public deliberation. The public recognized the necessity of nuclear power but attached two conditions: safe nuclear power and resolution of the spent nuclear fuel issue. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) could be the answer to safe nuclear power.

On the other hand, no solution has been provided for the spent nuclear fuel issue over the past five years. This issue was already deliberated in 2015, and a three-step solution was proposed: temporary storage at the power plant, intermediate storage, and permanent disposal. However, the Moon Jae-in administration conducted a second public deliberation under the pretext of gathering civil society opinions. Ultimately, five years were wasted without surpassing the solution proposed in 2015.

While nuclear power plants are increasing worldwide, delays in spent nuclear fuel management are largely the responsibility of the nuclear industry and government. Nuclear power is a high-density energy source, producing a small amount of waste. One 1000 MW-class nuclear reactor can supply electricity to 300,000 households. The spent nuclear fuel generated annually is about 40 bundles, weighing 20 tons and occupying 8 cubic meters, roughly a quarter the size of a common shipping container.

Of course, safely disposing of spent nuclear fuel requires more space. Spent nuclear fuel can be stored for a considerable period in temporary storage facilities within the power plant, so this issue was not heavily considered when nuclear power was introduced. The accumulated spent nuclear fuel has now approached 20,000 tons.

The disposal of spent nuclear fuel is a favorite topic among anti-nuclear activists. However, this is more a matter of social acceptance than a technical problem. Finland is already constructing a disposal facility, Sweden has confirmed a disposal site, and France has prepared candidate sites and entered the confirmation process. Safety assessments of these disposal sites show that the risks of spent nuclear fuel disposal are extremely low. Common sense suggests it is hard to find a safer method than burying spent nuclear fuel deep underground.

Spent nuclear fuel returns to its natural state over hundreds of thousands of years. Opposing nuclear power because there is no technology to store it safely for 100,000 years is unreasonable. Although storage technology for such long periods cannot be proven, for spent nuclear fuel to affect ecosystems, the storage containers would have to corrode and the fuel dissolve into groundwater and reach the surface. This process takes thousands to tens of thousands of years even under harsh conditions. The whole world is alarmed by the climate crisis expected within this century, so opposing nuclear power over concerns thousands of years from now is putting the cart before the horse.

Researchers must present the most effective solutions for the spent nuclear fuel issue to the public. One such method is to reprocess and separate the spent nuclear fuel for disposal, which can drastically reduce the volume of waste. This technology has been jointly researched by South Korea and the United States over the past decade. For this research to come to fruition, the new government must make a decision. Researchers should also seek the most effective and least burdensome method for the public.

The next government has raised the banner of becoming a nuclear power nation. To ensure there are no issues in utilizing nuclear power to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it is hoped that a spent nuclear fuel management policy will be established and this issue resolved within the term.

Jeong Dong-wook, Professor, Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Chung-Ang University (President, Korean Nuclear Society)

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