Nuclear Issues in South Korea

1
Nuclear Issues in South Korea

• Introductory Brief of Spent Fuel Management
  Reform
• Nuclear Power Debates in South Korea
• Kwanghoon Seok, Green Korea United
• 27th, September, 2007
• CNIC Office in Tokyo

2
Introduction of myself

• Worked for Green Korea since 1996
• Policy consultant for Energy NGOs in Korea
• Energy Subcommittee member for Presidential
  Commission on Sustainable Development (2002)
• Board Member of Korea Institute for Nuclear
  Nonproliferation Control (2006)
• Nuke power waste subcommittee member for
  National Energy Commission (2007)
• Interested in energy market reform, nuclear
  liability management reform proliferation issues

3
What happened in waste issues in South Korea?

• NGOs urged SF policy reform after Buan
• ILLW repository decided at MUS300
• Activists mentally shocked at the result
• Spent fuel issue decoupled from ILLW
• MoCIE submitted RWM law to parliament
• KHNP resisted to pay back waste fund
• MoST tried to defend Atomic Energy Law

4
PCSDs initiative in the law

• KHNP should pay back fund for SF management
  disposal (4thrillion Won B?494) within next
  10years(PCSD)
• KHNP insisting the payback deadline should be
  extended to the next 20years
• Its financing will be tight from 2010 to 2015
  due to new nuclear builds(KHNP)

5
Growing Deficit of Nuclear Liabilities in KEPCO
Source KEPCO Consolidated Financial Statement,
June 2007, ?1 Trillion Won B?123
6
Details of Nuclear Liability Deficit in KEPCO
Source KEPCOs Consolidated Financial Statement
2007, Unit 100 million Won M?12.3
7
Nuclear Liability Fund Management in OECD
Source OECD NEA 2006
8
Countries with and without LILW Repository
Source Authors elaborate from UN Demographic
Yearbook 2001
9
What happened in NPP issues in South Korea?

• NGOs lost Shin-Kori units 14 battles
• KHNP sacrificed Shin-Wolsong 34 for the LLW
  repository site in Kyeong-ju
• Kori-1 life extension issued, NGOs involved
• KHNP prepares Wolsong-1 extension under surface
  but NGOs are not interested in
• Anti-nuke NGOs lost their initiative to labor
  unions in energy market reform debates

10
Whats going on in SF issues?

• KHNP lobbying Parliament to stop the law
• MOST defending its existence, emphasizing AFCI
  GNEP corporation with US DOE US national labs.
• MOCIE pushing the law but compromising
• MOCIE indicated it may drop out centralized
  storage option due to technical advance
• NGOs losing their focus in SF issues may return
  to simple Anti-nuke campaign

11
Whats going on in NPP issues?

• Life extension plan of Kori-1 is under
  investigation of safety institute(KINS)
• KHNP made Wolson-1 refurbishment
  contract(MUS300) with AECL in 2006
• KHNPs nuclear economics is challenged by
  National Energy Commissions nuclear power
  subcommittee

12
National Energy Commission

• Energy NGOs proposed to Parliament in 2005
• Refused once but accepted by MoCIE in 2006
  launched in 2007
• Commissioner is President, 25 members are from
  GOs, NGOs Universities
• 4 Subcommittees devote detail discussion Policy,
  Technology, Resource Development Conflict
  Management(notably Nuke Power Waste)

13
Abbreviations

• KEPCOKorea Electric Power Co., Ltd.
• KHNPKorea Hydro Nuclear Power, One of
  Subsidiaries of KEPCO
• SF Spent Fuel
• ILLWIntermediate Low Level Waste
• PCSDPresidential Commission on Sustainable
  Development
• MoCIE Ministry of Commerce, Industry Energy
• MoST Ministry of Science Technology