Page 8 - AsiaElec Week 08 2023

AsiaElec NUCLEAR AsiaElec

Korean nuclear ambitions

extend to shipbuilding

Small modular reactors seen as key to powering next generation shipping

SOUTH KOREA SOUTH Korea’s persistent ambitions to export earlier in the month on the use of SMRs in
its nuclear technology now extend to developing Korea’s maritime and nuclear power generation
nuclear-powered ships. industries.
In reports from the Korean peninsula, a group SMRs as currently described by the Inter-
of nine companies and research institutes have national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are
agreed to jointly develop small modular reactors nuclear reactors with a power generation
(SMR) with an end goal of having them power capacity of up to, but not more than, 300
commercial shipping. MW.
The president of the Korea Atomic Energy Crucial to the development of the programme
Research Institute (KAERI), Dr. Joo Han Gyu, will be the installation of the SMRs in large-scale
said of the agreement: “theoretically, no matter commercial shipping built on the peninsula.
how good the technology is, it means nothing if As of the end of 2022, South Korea was sec-
it cannot be used in our life.” ond only to China in large-scale ship produc-
Joo went on to say that “through collaboration tion, turning out an estimated 39% of the total
with the maritime industry, we can take one step tonnage produced globally each year.
closer to realising advanced nuclear systems.” It is understood that the group of nine will
In addition to its position already as one of now focus primarily on the development of
the world’s leading shipbuilding nations, South molten salt reactors (MSRs) as a liquid fuel reac-
Korea has in recent months been making moves tor that mixes nuclear fuel materials with molten
to establish itself as one of the leading nuclear salt when activated.
tech export nations. In doing so, the MSR is seen as an eco-friendly
Besides KAERI, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeo- source of power with no carbon emissions, and
ngju-si, Korea Research Institute of Ships and with the added safety precaution of the molten
Ocean Engineering (KRISO), Korean Register salt merely solidifying should any internal
(KR), H-Line Shipping, HMM, Wooyang Ship- abnormalities be detected once in use; the per-
ping and Sinokor Merchant Marine signed the fect shut-down safety measure for nuclear-pow-
same memorandum of understanding (MoU) ered vessels should this occur at sea.™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 08 22 •February•2023