[The Future of Nuclear Power③] Future Food Source 'Bangpyejang'... Securing the Site Is Key

Technology Gap in Four Key Areas of Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility: 4.86 Years
Finland and Sweden to Complete Construction by 2025-2030
Korea's Construction Plans Failed 9 Times Over 40 Years
Wolseong Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Rate at 99.2%
"Construction Speed Roadmap Needs Reassessment"

Waste stored in the interim storage building at the Gyeongju radioactive waste disposal facility. Currently, 3,536 drums of waste brought in from Wolseong and Uljin nuclear power plants, along with 707 drums of radioactively contaminated asphalt generated in Nowon District, are temporarily stored.

Radioactive waste (spent nuclear fuel) management technology is one of the future growth engines in the nuclear power sector. In particular, the construction of high-level radioactive waste disposal facilities (disposal sites) is becoming increasingly important as an essential condition for expanding nuclear power as an eco-friendly energy source. To increase the share of nuclear power generation, securing permanent disposal facilities for storing radioactive waste must be guaranteed.

However, no country has yet secured a high-level radioactive waste disposal site, and no one holds a dominant position in the related market. Finland, which is currently under active construction aiming to operate a permanent disposal site by 2025, is the most advanced. Sweden is targeting completion by 2030, and France plans to apply for construction permits within this year. The UK and Switzerland are currently in the process of site selection. South Korea plans to invest 1.4 trillion won from 2023 to 2055 to develop technologies for transportation, storage, site selection, and disposal of radioactive waste, aiming to construct a high-level radioactive waste disposal site by 2060.

Currently, South Korea's technology level in the 'disposal' sector of high-level radioactive waste is at 57.4% of leading countries such as the United States, Sweden, and Finland, with a technology gap of 8.7 years. This is the lowest compared to transportation (83.8%), storage (79.6%), and site selection (62.2%). However, the overall technology gap including all four major disposal site sectors is only 4.86 years, and academia believes that technically, the construction of a high-level radioactive waste disposal site is feasible by 2050. Successfully completing a high-level radioactive waste disposal site domestically is expected to boost related technology exports.

Overview of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant and Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility located in Eurajoki, Finland

The key issue lies in securing a site for the construction of the high-level radioactive waste disposal facility where the developed technologies can be applied. Since 1983, there have been nine rounds of discussions among regions and residents over 40 years regarding the construction of a high-level radioactive waste disposal site, but no conclusion has been reached. The Ministry of Environment's inclusion of nuclear power in the Korean-style Green Taxonomy (K-Taxonomy) on the 20th without specifying a deadline for securing a high-level radioactive waste disposal site also reflects the difficulties in site acquisition. The Ministry of Environment has stated that in order to approve nuclear power as an eco-friendly energy source, detailed plans for radioactive waste disposal and the enactment of laws to enforce them must precede.

According to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power on the 30th, the spent nuclear fuel storage rate at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant is 99.2%, and storage facilities are expected to reach saturation within the year. The Gori (85.4%), Hanul (81.7%), and Hanbit (74.2%) nuclear power plants are also expected to have fully saturated storage facilities between 2031 and 2032. Currently, about 18,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste have been generated from 26 domestic nuclear reactors.

If the construction of a high-level radioactive waste disposal site is delayed, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's nuclear power policy will inevitably face setbacks. The government plans to raise the domestic nuclear power generation share target from the existing 23.9% to over 30% by 2030. This presupposes securing a stable disposal plan for high-level radioactive waste. Professor Jeong Dong-wook of the Department of Energy Systems Engineering at Chung-Ang University said, "In Finland, it took a total of 30 years from enacting the high-level radioactive waste disposal law in 1994, selecting the site in 2004, to the scheduled completion in 2024," adding, "We also need to review the roadmap to expedite the construction of the disposal site."

▲On the 11th, a view looking up at the ceiling inside an underground silo at the Gyeongju radioactive waste disposal facility. The facility has six silos, each with a diameter of 30 meters and a height of 50 meters.