[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Woojin announced on the 16th that it has been selected as a recipient of the Excellent Company Research Institute Promotion (ATC+) project, hosted by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The Excellent Company Research Institute Promotion (ATC+) project is a program by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy that selects and supports outstanding corporate research institutes. Through this agreement, Woojin will invest 2.2 billion KRW as private sector contribution over four years and secure a total project budget of 4.4 billion KRW with government subsidies.
The main research task aims to develop a plant-type large-capacity decontamination facility using technology to decontaminate radioactive cesium-contaminated incineration ash. The contaminated incineration ash generated from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan is the primary target for decontamination.
The research will be conducted through overseas industry-academia-research cooperation. Woojin will jointly participate in the project with Japan’s Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center (RANDEC) and its subsidiary, the Japanese corporation TAKA. RANDEC will study Japanese government policies and regulations, while TAKA plans to analyze local market trends for commercialization.
A company representative stated, “In Japan, there are hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive contaminated incineration ash accumulated, creating a need for technology capable of large-capacity processing,” and added, “Being selected for this national project is expected to raise external recognition and help commercialize the decontamination technology.”
Woojin entered the decontamination business by acquiring Nuclear Environment Engineering Development (NEED), a developer of radioactive decontamination technology, in 2018. Last year, through a demonstration of mobile decontamination facilities in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, it achieved a cesium (Cs) removal rate of 99%, continuing steady research progress.
A Woojin official said, “Despite strict selection criteria, being chosen as an overseas industry-academia-research open cooperation project recognizes Woojin’s technological capabilities and the potential of the decontamination business,” and added, “Through this project, we plan to establish a Global Collaboration Research Center to expand research and marketing with overseas institutions.”
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