'원전 2기' 경북 영덕에...SMR 후보 부지는 부산 기장 선정 / YTN

[Anchor] Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, has been selected as the candidate site for two new large-scale nuclear power plants scheduled to begin operation around 2037. Gijang-gun, Busan, has been selected as the candidate site for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which are considered a key technology of the future. In the era of artificial intelligence, which requires massive power generation, these sites are expected to serve as the foundation for our technological advancement and industrial production. We connect with our reporter for more details. Reporter Park Ki-wan! Please give us the details on the selection of the new nuclear power plant sites. [Reporter] Yes, the New Nuclear Power Plant Site Selection Evaluation Committee, composed of external experts, announced the candidate sites for two new large-scale nuclear power plants in accordance with the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. The final selected location is Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. Along with this, Gijang-gun, Busan, has been selected as the site where Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) will be installed for the first time in Korea. For the large-scale nuclear power plant, Yeongdeok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province and Ulju-gun in Ulsan applied for sites; the Site Evaluation Committee explained that Yeongdeok-gun received a superior evaluation in the areas of public opinion surveys and qualitative site evaluation. Regarding the SMR, Gyeongju City and Gijang-gun hoped to host it. Gijang-gun received 87 points out of 100, while Gyeongju City received 85 points, making Gijang-gun the final candidate. This marks the first selection of a site for a new large-scale nuclear power plant in Korea in 13 years and 9 months, since September 2012. At that time, Yeongdeok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province was also designated as the planned site for the Cheonji Nuclear Power Plant. However, the designation was withdrawn in 2021 following the Moon Jae-in administration's anti-nuclear policy. In a sense, Yeongdeok-gun has been selected as a nuclear power plant site once again, overcoming the pain of that past. Previously, the government also conducted a nationwide public opinion survey regarding whether to construct two large-scale nuclear power plants. At the time, over 80% of the public believed that nuclear power plants were necessary, and more than 60% responded that the construction of new nuclear power plants should proceed as planned. The two nuclear power plants to be built in Yeongdeok-gun will be KHNP's APR1400 model and will produce a total of 2.8 GW of electricity. Typically, one 1.4 GW nuclear power plant produces large-scale electricity sufficient to power over 1 million households for a day. The SMR unit designated for the demonstration project will be constructed with a capacity of 0.7 GW. Now, Yeongdeok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province and Gijang-gun in Busan have applied for the designation of planned power development project areas. Following the completion of evaluations and construction permit procedures for full-scale nuclear power plant construction, full-scale construction is scheduled to begin around 2030. The procedures will proceed with the goal of completing the new nuclear power plants around 2037 or 2038 and the first SMR unit in 2035. This has been Park Ki-wan from YTN. At the time, the public opinion was that nuclear power plants were necessary, and the response was that the construction of the first SMR unit should proceed as scheduled. YTN Park Ki-wan ([email protected]) ※ 'Your Tip Becomes News' [KakaoTalk] Search for YTN and add the channel [Phone] 02-398-8585 [Email] [email protected] ▶ Original Article : https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0102_202606... ▶ Send a Tip : https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel : http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.