Domestic Cask Market Expected to Exceed 8 Trillion Won
Collaboration with Over 140 Nuclear Power Plant SMEs
Doosan Enerbility has secured a contract for the cask business, which involves the transport and storage containers for spent nuclear fuel, using domestically developed technology.
Doosan Enerbility announced on the 2nd that it has signed a comprehensive design service contract for a spent nuclear fuel dry storage system with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. Through an international competitive bidding process, Doosan Enerbility plans to complete the design of the dry storage system, including the cask, and obtain permits by 2027.
Spent nuclear fuel, which is discharged after being used as fuel in nuclear power plants, is initially cooled by wet storage in water-filled pools for five years, then stored by dry storage outside the pools. The cask used at this stage safely manages radiation and heat, requiring special design and advanced technology for its manufacture.
The nuclear power industry forecasts that approximately 2,800 casks will be needed for domestic dry storage and interim storage facilities by 2060, with the related market size expected to reach about 8.4 trillion KRW. Doosan Enerbility plans to collaborate with around 140 small and medium-sized local partner companies by region and process to revitalize the domestic nuclear power industry ecosystem when securing future manufacturing contracts.
Cask for the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in the United States [Photo by Doosan Enerbility]
Kim Jong-du, Head of the Nuclear BG at Doosan Enerbility, said, “This contract is significant as it establishes the foundation for the domestically standardized spent nuclear fuel transport and storage containers, which are expected to be ordered in amounts worth trillions of won using the domestically developed cask model.” He added, “We will do our best to strengthen manufacturing competitiveness with numerous domestic small and medium nuclear power partners to participate in future interim storage and permanent disposal projects.”
Since signing a technology cooperation agreement with NAC in 2015, Doosan Enerbility has developed and maintained a lineup of casks applicable to various domestic and international environments. The Korean-style Metal Storage Overpack (MSO) for domestic projects was jointly developed with NAC and received design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Additionally, in 2019, Doosan Enerbility became the first Korean company to secure and supply casks for Unit 1 of the U.S. Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and in 2021, it secured an additional order for casks to be used at Unit 2 of the same plant and is currently manufacturing them.
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