[Pro-Wonjeon, Starting from Nuclear Waste Disposal Site] What Does the High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act Contain?

Comparison of Three Bills Proposed by Ruling and Opposition Parties

The core of the Special Act on the Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste lies in the site selection process. All three proposed bills contain identical provisions regarding site selection.

First, areas unsuitable for constructing disposal facilities are excluded, and applications from suitable local governments are accepted to conduct a preliminary investigation. Based on the evaluation of these results, sites for in-depth investigation are selected, and through this in-depth investigation, the planned site is chosen. Subsequently, following the Resident Referendum Act, the final site is selected through resident referendums and other procedures.

Appearance of the Onkalo spent nuclear fuel disposal facility in Finland. (Photo by Spent Nuclear Fuel Public Deliberation Committee)

In particular, to increase resident acceptance, it is stipulated that residents' opinions must be confirmed not only through resident referendums but also during the preliminary investigation application and public contest stages, and that consent from local councils and consultations with neighboring local government heads must be conducted.

Additionally, all bills commonly include provisions to establish an independent administrative committee dedicated to high-level radioactive waste policy, called the ‘High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Committee,’ responsible for formulating management plans and securing sites for management facilities. Currently, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy handles waste management tasks for not only high-level but also intermediate- and low-level waste.

The bills also define the current dry storage facilities, where spent nuclear fuel is stored, as temporary facilities, thereby addressing unnecessary misunderstandings among nuclear power plant area residents regarding the term ‘permanent storage facility.’

On the other hand, differences arise in provisions regulating the storage capacity of storage facilities within nuclear power plant sites and the nature of the management committee.

Assemblyman Kim Seong-hwan’s bill sets the storage capacity of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities within nuclear power plant sites based on the predicted amount generated during the ‘design life’ period, whereas Assemblymen Kim Young-sik and Lee In-seon’s bills use the predicted amount generated during the ‘nuclear power plant operation license’ period as the standard.

The design life is the minimum period set during the design of a nuclear power plant, but since current nuclear power plants can continue operation with approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, there is an opinion that the term ‘nuclear power plant operation license period’ should be used.

Also, Assemblymen Kim Seong-hwan and Kim Young-sik’s bills establish the High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Committee as a central administrative agency under the Prime Minister, whereas Assemblyman Lee In-seon’s bill defines it as a general administrative committee. Opinions also differ on how much independence, such as budgetary autonomy, should be granted.

Furthermore, Assemblyman Kim Young-sik’s bill specifies concrete years for site acquisition, the start of management facility operation, and the timing of spent nuclear fuel removal from storage facilities within nuclear power plant sites, while Assemblyman Lee In-seon’s bill stipulates that spent nuclear fuel must be removed without delay after the completion of the interim storage facility.

Construction site of Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6

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