South Korea has launched a private-public partnership program aimed to promote an industry for safe and clean decommissioning of aged nuclear reactors and eventually export the technology.

A consultative body comprising representatives from 20 state-run utilities, construction companies and think tanks was set up on Friday, the country’s industry ministry said.

Initial members include Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the country’s operator of nuclear reactors, Kepco KPS, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning and Korea Atomic Industrial Forum.

The ministry aims to develop technologies needed to dismantle the Kori-1 unit, which was shut down in June following 40 years of commercial use by 2021. Those technologies involve decontamination, reactor dismantling, waste disposal and environmental recovery. It also plans to establish a research institute to pave the way for entering the global market by 2030.

Korea with one of the world’s top capabilities of generating commercial nuclear power wants to extend its technology to address post-life of reactors as many of the earlier-generation reactors are nearing their design lifespan and some states like Korea are phasing out of nuclear reactors.

Based on their original designs, 76 reactors around the world would retire from 2015 to 2019, 183 in 2020s, 127 reactors in the 2030s and 89 in the 2040s and beyond, KHNP estimated.

By Ko Jae-man and Minu Kim

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]