[Exclusive] Transition Committee to Create 'High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act'... Possible Legislation Within This Year

Yoon Administration Accelerates Enactment of 'High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act'
Transition Team States "Discussing as Importantly as Continued Operation of Nuclear Power Plants"
Domestic Interim Storage Facilities to Sequentially Saturate from 2031
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Also Emphasizes Need for Legislation in Work Report

Yoon Seok-yeol President-elect Enters to Announce First Cabinet List
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Photo by Hwang Kwang-mo = Yoon Seok-yeol, President-elect, is entering the briefing room at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th to announce the first cabinet list.
On this day, President-elect Yoon announced the appointments for the Minister of Economy and Finance concurrently serving as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Minister of National Defense, Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Health and Welfare, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Minister of Gender Equality and Family. 2022.4.10
hkmpooh@yna.co.kr
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[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] With the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, the enactment of the ‘High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act’ is gaining momentum. The Presidential Transition Committee has determined that the construction of a permanent disposal facility for radioactive waste is inevitable to promote the next government's nuclear power policy. Since the Democratic Party of Korea also shares a consensus on the enactment of the special law, it could be passed as early as the regular National Assembly session in September.

According to related ministries on the 11th, the Transition Committee is strongly considering pushing forward the enactment of the High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act. The plan is to establish a legal basis for constructing a radioactive waste disposal facility (RWDF) through the special law and accelerate the pledge made by President-elect Yoon to reverse the ‘nuclear phase-out’ policy. A Transition Committee official stated, "The construction of the RWDF requires a legal basis," adding, "It is being discussed as importantly as the continued operation of nuclear power plants and the resumption of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4."

The RWDF is a facility that safely stores spent nuclear fuel generated from nuclear power plants. Serving as a kind of ‘restroom,’ the RWDF is considered an essential facility for nuclear power plants. Previously, the government attempted to secure sites for the RWDF since the 1980s but was repeatedly thwarted by local opposition. As a result, domestic nuclear power plants have been storing waste in temporary storage facilities called MACSTOR.

The capacity of MACSTOR is already approaching its limit. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, MACSTOR facilities at Gori and Hanbit nuclear power plants will reach saturation sequentially starting in 2031, followed by Hanul and Shin Wolsong plants. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, after many difficulties, managed to prevent a ‘waste crisis’ by expanding seven MACSTOR units at Wolseong nuclear power plant last month, where the saturation rate had reached about 99%.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the competent authority, also emphasizes the urgency of enacting the special law. In a recent briefing to the Transition Committee, the ministry stressed the need to legislate the main contents of the 2nd Basic Plan for High-Level Radioactive Waste Management announced at the end of last year. The ministry also proposed establishing a dedicated organization under the Prime Minister’s Office to select the site for the RWDF.

The special law could be passed as early as the regular National Assembly session in September. Originally, the High-Level Radioactive Waste Special Act was introduced by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seong-hwan as the main sponsor in September last year and is currently pending. Since the Democratic Party also recognizes the necessity of the RWDF, it is analyzed that if the Transition Committee reflects the special law in the national agenda and legislative proposals follow, enactment within the year would not be difficult.