South Korea has given the go-ahead to build two nuclear reactors on its east coast, reviving a project that was shelved by the previous administration, which favored an anti-nuclear energy policy.
The government authorized the construction of the Shin Hanul No. 3 and 4 reactors in Uljin, it announced on Thursday. Each reactor will have a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts, the government added.
South Korea is undergoing a nuclear energy revival as President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in 2022, reverses his predecessor’s policy and emphasizes the role of nuclear power in reducing emissions. Seoul aims to have nuclear energy account for 36% of its power generation by 2038, up from the current 30%.
The country aims to meet its burgeoning power demand from artificial intelligence using carbon-free sources like nuclear and hydrogen, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Choe Nam-ho stated in an interview earlier this month.
A national energy strategy proposed in May outlined plans for three new reactors, each with a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts, and a 700-megawatt small modular reactor by 2038. South Korea expects to finish building Shin Hanul No. 3 and 4 units by 2032 and 2033, respectively, according to the presidential office.
The announcement follows Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., the state-run developer of nuclear power plants, first seeking construction approval in 2016. The project had been abandoned under former President Moon Jae-in, who had pledged to phase out nuclear power from the country’s energy mix, citing safety concerns.
The renewed push for nuclear power received a boost earlier this year when South Korea secured a $17 billion project to export its nuclear technology to the Czech Republic.