پیشرفت مدیریت زباله رادیواکتیو در کره

In Korea, sixteen nuclear reactors are in operation and by 2015, there will be a total of twenty-six nuclear reactors. The current generating capacity is 12,990 MWe with a share of 40.7 % of the total production of electricity. This active nuclear program causes an inevitable increase in the build-up of radioactive waste, including spent fuel. Therefore, reliable and effective management of radioactive waste and spent fuel has become a key to the continuous growth of the nuclear power program. As of the end of 2000, a total of 57,270 drums of low and intermediate level waste (LILW) were generated from the nuclear powers plants (NPPs). And the total amount of LILW from NPPs, RI applications from more than 1,700 users, and decommissioning will increase to 256,520 drums by 2020. Also, the cumulative amount of spent fuel reached 4,758 MTU by the end of 2000 and will jump to 18,615 MTU by 2020. According to the new national planning, AFR storage facilities for spent fuels will be built by 2016 and a repository for LILW radioactive disposal will be in operation by 2008. Even though Korea has a “wait and see policy” for spent fuel management, several alternative studies on spent fuel management such as DUPIC have been carried out. In a parallel, R&D activities to develop the needed technologies for the permanent disposal of spent fuel and HLW have been implemented. In addition, active R&D on the treatment of radioactive waste from the various nuclear fuel cycles as well as the decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities are in progress. Many of these studies are being pursued in the form of regional as well as international cooperation.