Nuclear Power Plant Operations Now Under Four Ministries, Increasing Confusion for KHNP (Comprehensive)

Operations: Climate Ministry, Exports: Industry Ministry, R&D: Science Ministry, Safety: Nuclear Safety Commission
Policy Consistency and Negotiating Power at Risk... Increased Burden of Parliamentary Audits

With the government finalizing a reform plan that separates industry and energy policies for the first time in 32 years, the number of ministries involved in nuclear power plant work has increased to four. The newly established Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (Climate Ministry) will oversee nuclear power plant operations, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will handle exports, the Ministry of Science and ICT will be responsible for research and development (R&D), and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will take charge of safety regulations. As a result, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) will inevitably face a dual or even triple reporting system, requiring it to report to at least two or three ministries simultaneously. On the ground, there are concerns that "policy efficiency will decline and even responding to the National Assembly audit could paralyze work."

Overlapping Reporting Structure Increases Administrative Burden

According to industry sources and KHNP on September 9, this government reorganization has imposed an unprecedented burden on KHNP by separating nuclear power plant operations and exports. Nuclear power is a comprehensive industry that must secure export competitiveness based on operational experience, supported by research and development as well as safety management. However, with four ministries now in charge, policy confusion has become inevitable.

In particular, KHNP serves as the implementing body responsible for both nuclear power plant operations and exports. Ensuring stable domestic operations while exporting the same model abroad is the key to its competitiveness. However, with ministries divided, the reporting structure now overlaps. A KHNP official stated, "We are now in a situation where we must report operational issues to the Climate Ministry and export matters to the Industry Ministry," adding, "Since each ministry has different requirements and perspectives, the company is left with a double burden."

If the reporting structure is divided, decision-making will slow down and accountability may become unclear. In international negotiations, it is crucial for the country to deliver a consistent message, but if each ministry presents a different stance, the nation’s negotiating power could be weakened. Some in the industry warn, "Nuclear power is an industry that depends on national trust, and splitting responsibilities among ministries could undermine that trust."

The burden of responding to the National Assembly audit is also expected to grow. KHNP has already had to prepare for audits by both the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee and the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee. With the addition of the Environment and Labor Committee due to this reorganization, there are growing concerns that work could be paralyzed for several weeks just by responding to these audits.

A KHNP official said, "Even before, handling audits from both committees was a heavy burden, and now we may have to deal with the Environment and Labor Committee as well," adding, "During the audit season, our core work could virtually come to a halt."

Among domestic public enterprises, except for Kangwon Land, KHNP is the only institution overseen by multiple committees. On-site, there are voices saying, "It would be better to consolidate nuclear power plant work under a single ministry."

Yonhap News Agency

Conflicting Policy Goals Intensify On-Site Confusion

Conflicting policy goals are also a problem. The Climate Ministry is inevitably focused on carbon reduction and safety, while the Industry Ministry aims to expand exports and support industry. When such differing goals collide, KHNP is placed in the difficult position of having to satisfy both sides’ demands.

In practice, overseas nuclear power exports are based on domestic operational experience and safety management systems. If the Climate Ministry pursues a policy of reducing nuclear power domestically while the Industry Ministry promotes an export expansion strategy abroad, policy inconsistency becomes unavoidable. An industry insider pointed out, "If domestic policy and overseas strategy are misaligned, the country could lose credibility in international negotiations," adding, "In such cases, the damage ultimately falls on companies and the public."

With nuclear power plant work now scattered among the Climate Ministry, Industry Ministry, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, there is growing sentiment that the control tower has effectively disappeared. When operations, exports, research, and safety are all managed by different ministries, each may send conflicting messages based on their own interests, making accountability unclear and threatening policy consistency.

The Korean Nuclear Society also issued a statement on this day, criticizing, "Fragmentation of nuclear power functions will raise barriers between ministries, hinder integrated policy-making, and create a structural problem where responsibility is shifted in the event of policy failure."

The society further pointed out, "At a time when integrated promotion of nuclear policy is desperately needed, dividing a single project into R&D, construction and operation, and export, with each handled by a different ministry, will only increase confusion on the ground," adding, "It is clear that affiliated organizations and on-site workers will suffer the triple hardship of having to deal with three ministries simultaneously."

They also emphasized, "In particular, nuclear power exports must be organically linked to successful domestic construction and operational experience to secure export competitiveness," and criticized, "Separating the responsible ministries for domestic and overseas projects is a foolish decision that will shackle our export competitiveness just as we are facing the vast global market."

There are also calls to at least institutionally supplement the collaborative structure in the nuclear power sector. Unless a joint committee or integrated review body is established to enable two or more ministries to make decisions together, confusion is inevitable.

A KHNP official stated, "Ambitious climate goals are important, but if the implementing body is thrown into confusion, policy effectiveness will inevitably be halved," adding, "Coordination that considers on-site efficiency is urgently needed."

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