"By using nuclear power, South Korean consumers and companies enjoyed electricity quality on par with the best in the world," Lee said.
- From: goodgutgut@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: 4 Dec 2005 09:43:37 -0800
2005/11/03 17:50 KST
Seoul ends long search for nuclear waste dump
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's selection of a nuclear
repository site represents the realization of a long-cherished wish to
have a place to store radioactive waste generated by its hospitals and
20 nuclear power plants, officials said Thursday.
The regional plebiscite that saw the southeastern city of Gyeongju
awarded the right to host the nation's first permanent nuclear waste
repository also marks the introduction of a fair and open system to
determine key policies, they said.
Earlier in the day, the government officially confirmed the historic
city, located about 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the site for
the low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste repository. The waste
dump will be built on a site on the southeastern outskirts of the city
close to the East Sea.
South Korea currently operates 20 commercial nuclear power plants, with
10 more to be built or on the drawing board in the next 10 years.
Roughly 40 percent of the country's electric power is generated by
nuclear reactors.
The selection has finally put an end to a 19-year controversy over
where to build the nuclear repository, said the officials at the
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy.
The peaceful and systematic method of asking the people directly about
a key issue related to the country's nuclear energy policy opens new
horizons for future major policies, they said.
"South Korea's electricity costs have on the whole remained unchanged
in the past few decades and the reason for this is its reliance on
nuclear energy," Minister of Commerce and Industry Lee Hee-beom said.
Since people have benefited from nuclear energy, it is surely time to
talk about how to deal with the by-products that come out of running
such plants, he said.
"By using nuclear power, South Korean consumers and companies enjoyed
electricity quality on par with the best in the world," Lee said.
Echoing these views, other senior ministry officials said that the
decision making process may be repeated when it has to introduce other
unpopular changes, such as the building of new atomic power plants.
"No other country in the world has used this method in selecting such
sites," said Cho Seok, the head of the ministry's energy and nuclear
power office.
The official, who acted as the working level spokesman for the low- and
intermediate-level radioactive waste repository project, stressed the
result shows people how they can deal with similar problems in the
future without reacting violently as in the past.
Low- and intermediate waste refer to products like gloves and clothing
worn at nuclear facilities as well as radioactive filters and hospital
X-ray byproducts.
The waste dump was last proposed for an islet off Buan, a town on the
nation's central east coast, two years ago, only to be cancelled after
violent protests by villagers.
"If people succeed or feel comfortable with a certain process, they may
be open to trying this again," he said.
Cho said that of the 33 countries in the world that use nuclear energy,
none have been able to deal with their nuclear energy issues through a
direct voting process.
There are slightly more than 70 low-level nuclear waste dump sites in
the world.
The official, however, declined to say if the process may be repeated
for selecting a site for a proposed repository for high-grade nuclear
by-products such as spent fuel rods, materials so hazardous they must
be held in storage for 10,000 years.
On future schedule for the repository, Oh Young-ho the deputy minister
for energy resource policy, said no details have been set on handing
out the 300 billion won (US$288 million) in payment that Gyeongju will
get. He said it could be given out in one lump sum or in parcels.
The government plans to build the facility in Yangbuk on the east coast
by late 2008. It said the building of a multi-billion won sub-atomic
particle accelerator and the establishment of the headquarters of the
state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. in the region will also take
place in that year or in 2009.
The entire package, including 8.5 billion won of waste collection fees
and taxes paid by the hydro power company that exceed 4 billion won a
year, is expected to give the local economy a huge boost. Some
estimates place the benefits at up to 20 trillion won and 200,000 jobs
over the long term.
The site located 28-kilometer southeast of Gyeongju city hall is on
land already owned by the government and will allow for low transport
expenses as its seaside location will make it easy to ferry in waste
products by boat.
Advocates added that the proposed site for the repository will be built
is adjacent to the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Complex.
On objections by civic groups and anti-nuclear organizations, about
building a dump site in the capital of ancient Silla Kingdom (57
B.C.-A.D. 937) that is dotted with historic monuments and cultural
treasures, the government said the isolated location of the proposed
site makes such concerns groundless.
The government said Yangbuk is far removed from historic sites and only
nine and 11 kilometers, respectively, from the boundaries of Ulsan and
Pohang, two of the most industrialized cities in the country.
It said the large buffer zone of 600,000 pyeong (1.98 million square
meters) of land surrounding the storage site makes it doubly safe.
The local governments of Gyeongju, Pohang and Yeongdeok, all on the
east coast, and Gunsan on the west coast, had applied to host the
repository, despite protests from environmental groups. The other three
lost out because the percentage of support they received fell short of
the numbers reached by Gyeongju, where 89.5 percent voted yes.
Runner-up Gunsan's approval rate reached 84.4 percent, while those for
Yeongdeok and Pohang reached 79.3 percent and 67.5 percent each.
Under the ground rules set by the central government, the region that
received the most votes in favor was to be deemed the winner.
Meanwhile, environmental groups called the voting process unfair since
all opposition was ignored by the local authorities and the press, two
parties they claim had an interest in hosting the repository. They said
they will take the matter to court and win an injunction to halt
building of the facility.
The central government and the Gyeongju municipal administration
dismissed the claims and called on critics to respect the wishes of the
local residents.
yonngong@xxxxxxxxx
(END)
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