nuclear-news

Business before safety, in nuclear South Korea

The country also hopes to
capitalize on its growing technological expertise, and it has already
exported four nuclear power plants to the United Arab Emirates.

Pursuing Economic Growth, South Korea Accepts The Risks Of Nuclear
Power Generation, International Business Tomes, 3 Jan 2013 It’s a new
year for nuclear energy in South Korea. The government has just
approved the reopening of a shuttered power plant in Yeonggwang
county, which will begin supplying electricity amid official
assurances that safety concerns have been addressed….. a sobering
caveat: Nuclear energy is inherently risky. …… especially
worrisome when South Korea shut down two of its own nuclear plants in
Yeonggwang — which is less than 200 miles from the capital city of
Seoul — in November, after it was revealed that some of the working
parts had quality certificates that had been forged.

The questionable
products were smaller pieces like switches and fuses that authorities
said were not integral to preventing radiation, but that didn’t ease
the fears of nearby residents…….
Broadly speaking, South Korea has ambitious plans to ramp up its
nuclear energy production — it was affirmed in 2011 that the country
would aim for 40 operating nuclear plants by 2030, which would supply
about 59 percent of national energy needs. The country also hopes to
capitalize on its growing technological expertise, and it has already
exported four nuclear power plants to the United Arab Emirates.

The United States is a major partner in the Republic of (South)
Korea’s nuclear energy development efforts. According to a 2011 report
from the Brookings Institution, “South Korea’s nuclear energy
development has been made possible by the ROK-U.S. Atomic Energy
Agreement signed in 1972. The United States provided nuclear
technologies and materials necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear
energy; in return, South Korea was specifically prohibited from
proliferation-related activities such as the reprocessing of spent
fuel and uranium enrichment under the terms of the agreement.”….
fuel and uranium enrichment under the terms of the agreement.”….

January 3, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, South Korea