The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a “Council to Strengthen Global Competitiveness in Nuclear Decommissioning” at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, in collaboration with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. This event brought together government, industry, and academic sectors to enhance cooperation in safely decommissioning inactive nuclear power plants and analyzing radioactive waste.
Hosted by the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, the council included participants such as Lee Ho-hyun, Director-General for Energy Policy at the Ministry of Industry, local government officials, and experts from various fields. The attendees reviewed the current status and future plans for nuclear decommissioning projects in terms of technology, market, and infrastructure, based on the 2022 “Plan to Strengthen Global Competitiveness in the Nuclear Decommissioning Industry.”
The government has announced a plan to cultivate 100 specialized nuclear decommissioning companies and train 2,500 experts by 2030, aiming for overseas project orders worth $100 million.
Following the council, the “2024 Nuclear Decommissioning Business Forum” was held, gathering over 200 experts to review the domestic preparedness for nuclear decommissioning and discuss technology developments both locally and internationally. In particular, although Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is in a patent dispute with Westinghouse over the export of Czech nuclear power, a business executive from the U.S. company attended via video conference to share the status and insights of nuclear decommissioning projects. Recently, Westinghouse, in partnership with Hyundai Engineering & Construction, secured a deal for a 20 trillion won nuclear power project in Bulgaria.
Lee stated that the global nuclear decommissioning market is estimated to be worth up to 492 trillion won and is growing into a high-value-added industry with advanced technologies such as robotics, digital twins, and new materials. He emphasized the need to secure nuclear decommissioning technology based on Korea’s world-class nuclear industry capabilities to prepare for domestic decommissioning and lead the global market.