Seoul resists nuclear shutdown
pressure By Steven Borowiec
SEOUL - On May 5, Japan shut down the last
of its 55 nuclear reactors to go nuclear free.
Fallout from the March 2011 Fukushima disaster
turned Japanese public opinion so strongly against
nuclear power that the Tokyo was forced to abandon
an energy source once as seen the perfect solution
to Japan's scarcity of resources.
Two days
after Japan's last reactor was shutdown, next-door
in South Korea, President Lee Myung-bak was
presiding over an groundbreaking ceremony for two
new reactors at the Uljin Nuclear Power Plant.
Though last week media revealed that a reactor at
the complex faces a two-year shut-down for safety
reasons, two new 1,400-megawatt reactors are still
scheduled to be built there by 2018.
When
it comes to nuclear power, South Korea is moving
in the
opposite direction as
Japan, in spite of a similar turn in popular
opinion. It's significant that while the Fukushima
crisis was unfolding, Lee was in the United Arab
Emirates signing a major deal whereby South Korean
firms would build nuclear facilities in the
country.
Uljin encapsulates the current
state of nuclear power generation in South Korea:
as the country builds new facilities, a number of
existing facilities aren't making the grade and a
sizeable segment of the population is resisting
planned expansion. Domestic resistance gained
momentum after the Fukushima disaster and is
accelerating amid a series of reported
malfunctions and misdeeds within South Korea's
nuclear power establishment.
Uljin isn't
the only problem area. A reactor at Wolseong
Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, south Gyeongsang
province, was recently shut down to avoid
overheating after a component failure. The
incident came just six months after it was
restarted following more than two years of
maintenance. The reactor's design life runs out in
November, but the government has no plans to shut
it down- they are seeking permission to extend its
life by an additional 10 years.
The Korea
Federation of Environmental Movements issued a
statement saying, "Until this accident, the
Wolseong No 1 reactor has recorded 51 malfunctions
over 30 years due to flaws in machinery and
components, including radiation leaks, coolant
leaks, and reactor shutdowns."
The nearby
Gori plant was shut down in April due to a power
failure. A scandal came about one month later
after plant officials attempted to cover up the
real reason for the shutdown. There is now an
investigation being conducted into allegations
that officials at that same plant took bribes from
local suppliers.
As of now, six officials
from the Korean Hydro Nuclear Power Company have
been arrested on charges of accepting bribes from
parts suppliers in return for accepting used and
outdated parts for power plants. The investigation
is still ongoing and more arrests could be made.
Approximately 4.04 million South Koreans
live within 30 kilometers of a nuclear plant,
which after Pakistan and Taiwan is the world's
largest such population proximity. The Gori and
Wolseong plants are located in an area of high
population density, which has contributed to
anxiety over their safety.
Nuclear plants
account for 29.5% of South Korea's total
electrical generation capacity, but supplies 45%
of total electrical consumption.
Greenpeace activists have held
demonstrations at Uljin and other plants in South
Korea. During one, activists used a high-powered
laser to shine an image onto the Gori plant that
called for its closure. The government apparently
didn't appreciate the attention: three members of
Greenpeace were denied entry to South Korea at
Incheon International Airport on April 2.
"Our deportation is a wake-up call for the
people of South Korea of what they can expect if
their country expands its already unhealthy
reliance on nuclear power and allows this kind of
crackdown to continue," said deported activist
Mario Damato in a Greenpeace statement.
At
the same time that there's a potential nuclear
crisis on the Korean Peninsula that has nothing to
do with anyone surnamed Kim, South Korea is trying
hard to build its reputation as a nuclear facility
exporter. It has keen interest in markets in the
Middle East, China and India. Demand for nuclear
power could grow in the medium-term future.
Over the next 20 years, many of the
world's nuclear reactors will reach the end of
their life spans, meaning there will be great
demand for replacement reactors. This surge will
be coupled with demand for new reactors in China
and India, as those countries look for ways to
meet rising energy demand.
South Korea
currently has 21 commercial reactors and has plans
to have 11 new ones up and running by 2022. In
July 2011, South Korea and India signed a deal to
share nuclear technology. India is planning to set
up some 30 reactors over as many years and get a
quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy by
2050.
The public is concerned about safety
and public opinion is largely against deepened
reliance on nuclear power. In response to the
unfavorable public sentiment, South Korean
president Lee took a page from Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher's book and declared that his
country had no alternative to nuclear power. He
said at the May 4 ceremony at Uljin that atomic
power is "not an option but a must" for
energy-strapped South Korea.
He also
argued that if nuclear power was done away with,
South Koreans would have to pay for more for
energy. At present, energy prices in South Korea
are some of the lowest in the world and nuclear
power accounts for about 31% of electricity
produced. There is no denying that densely
populated countries without a wealth of natural
resources, like South Korea and Japan, have energy
needs that demand sacrifices. If plants are
closed, that energy will have to come from
somewhere and prices could rise.
With the
hot summer approaching, air conditioning units
will strain power grids. If more South Korean
nuclear plants are shut down, the strain could
surpass manageable levels. If the country's
nuclear plants don't run smoothly, or even if they
do, it's likely to be a long, hot summer in South
Korea.
Steven Borowiec is a South
Korea-based writer.
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