Nuclear Industry Roadmap and Special Act on Nuclear Industry Support to Be Promoted Within the Year
Anduk Geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced that he will establish the '2050 Nuclear Power Industry Roadmap' within this year and also propose the Special Act on Nuclear Power Industry Support. This was stated during a meeting with nuclear engineering students. The government increased the nuclear power industry support budget by 4% for next year.
On the 10th, Minister Ahn visited the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University to have a conversation with the faculty and hold a 'Dialogue with Nuclear Engineering Students' attended by undergraduate and graduate students. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, this visit was intended to encourage the students following achievements such as the selection of the Czech Republic as the preferred bidder for a nuclear power plant in July and to gather opinions from various sectors on the government's nuclear power policy. The day before, President Yoon Suk-yeol also held a meeting with senior figures in the nuclear industry.
On this day, Minister Ahn said, "As the importance of nuclear power, a key alternative for carbon neutrality, grows, the roles and research of students majoring in nuclear engineering will also expand." He added that the government will strengthen support such as budget increases so that students can design diverse career paths and devote themselves to promising research in line with the government's initiatives on nuclear power plant construction and operation, establishment of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) infrastructure, and nuclear power exports.
The government budget proposal for next year includes 79.23 billion KRW for nuclear industry support, such as an increase of 5 billion KRW for ecosystem loan support and a new 4 billion KRW fund for fostering promising nuclear companies. This represents a 4% increase compared to this year's 76.15 billion KRW.
The students showed interest in policies such as SMR development and commercialization, and the expansion of nuclear power export achievements, discussing ways to explore career paths. Na Yong-su, head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University, urged the government to provide "policy support and a sustainable research environment that can consistently nurture excellent nuclear talents regardless of external circumstances."
Minister Ahn stated, "To promote unwavering nuclear power policies and industry support, we plan to establish the '2050 Nuclear Power Industry Roadmap' and propose the 'Special Act on Nuclear Power Industry Support' within this year." He also called on students for creative alternatives to raise public awareness and continuous efforts from academia. He promised support for academic proposals such as revitalizing industry-academia and international cooperation in the nuclear field.
Meanwhile, the meeting was also attended remotely by Professor Lee Jae-seung of the University of Michigan in the U.S., who was part of the first cohort of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University, offering encouragement and support to junior students. Afterwards, Minister Ahn inspected the SMR operation simulator and marine reactor safety evaluation facilities at Seoul National University, listening to the necessity of related research and development (R&D), human resource training, and industry promotion.
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