The National Assembly has approved the passage of the Act on High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLRW) Management, some 40 years after a plan to build a new HLRW treatment facility was first hatched.
But it is expected to take at least 37 years to designate a related site and construct an HLRW treatment facility in a follow-up measure, a Cabinet meeting, held on March 18 approved the passage of the Act on HLRW.
The act is to go into force six months after it is promulgated.
The parliamentary approval of the Act on HLRW Management is evaluated to be a watershed moment for securing a facility to treat spent nuclear fuel for the purpose of nuclear utilization.
President Cho Sung-don of Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) said on Feb. 28, “The parliamentary passage of the Act on HLRW Management is a first and historic step toward the management of high-level radioactive waste, and Korea will be able to become a radwaste industry leader by covering the full cycle of the nuclear power industry, ranging from nuclear power generation to radwaste disposal.”
On the previous day, the plenary session of the parliament passed three energy laws, including the Act on HLRW Management.
The other two laws are the special act on the expanding of national power grid networks, and the special act on promoting the supply of wind power and developing of the industry.
The act on expanding power grid calls for expanding power transmission lines so that power production can speed up.
To this end, the law has laid a foundation to establish a master plan to expand national power grid networks and create a national power grid expansion committee.
With the parliamentary passage of the Act on HLRW Management, the government and KORAD plan to embark on a process of constructing an HLRW management facility.
It is expected to take at least 37 years to designate a related site and build the HLRW treatment facility.
Specifically, it will take up to 13 years to start the site designation process and secure a site, and a combined 20 years to secure an interim storage facility and a combined 37 years to secure a permanent HLRW treatment facility.
The Korean Radioactive Waste Association issued a statement in which it said “It has a long way to go, not easy to ensure sustainable and safe management of HLRW.”
The association stressed the urgency of proactive efforts and cooperation among the government, local government agencies and KORAD as well as industry, academia and research circles.
HLRWs normally refer to spent nuclear fuel waste. Nuclear power units in operation have discharged some 19,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel since the launch of the nation’s first nuclear power Kori Unit 1 in 1978.
Against that backdrop, the government had attempted to install an HLRW treatment facility over a combined nine occasions in seven locations, including Uljin, Yeongdeok and Yeongil in 1986, Gureopdo Island in 1994 and Uljin in 2004, but all ended in failure.
Earlier, the government decided to build an underground research laboratory designed to secure radwaste management technologies at Taebaek.
The facility is one for research, not where spent nuclear fuel is permitted.
In a news release, KORAD welcomed the parliament’s passage of the Act on HLRW Management.
The parliamentary approval has come through ruling and opposition sides’ agreement some 40 years after attempts to build a HLRW treatment facility were made in Yeongdeok and Uljin.
The act has laid a legal basis for managing HLRW in a safe fashion.
_연구용 지하연구시설.jpg)
