Over the past 5 years, the nuclear power plant promotion budget has increased by 109.5% and regulations have increased by 4.6%... Gap 5.2 times → 10.3 times

Promotion 109.5%↑, regulation 4.6%↑ in 5 years… Budget gap 5.2 times → 10.3 times

Lee Joo-hee: “Nuclear power plant expansion and safety regulations cannot be separated”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seung-han = Although the government's nuclear energy promotion budget has doubled over the past five years, the nuclear energy regulation budget has remained stagnant during this period.

On the 2nd, Lee Joo-hee, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, analyzed the budgets of ministries related to nuclear power plants. According to the results, the nuclear energy promotion budget increased by 109.5% over the five years from 2022 to next year's government budget, but the safety regulation budget increased by only 4.6% over the same period.

It analyzed the budgets of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and included only the nuclear energy budget, excluding radiation-related ones.

The 2022 nuclear energy promotion budget was KRW 521.5 billion and the regulation budget was KRW 101.2 billion, a difference of 5.2 times, but in the 2027 budget, the budget increased by 10.3 times to KRW 1.0928 trillion and KRW 105.8 billion, respectively.

Representative Lee pointed out that although it is expected that additional nuclear power generation will be needed to supply electricity due to increased demand for artificial intelligence (AI), such as the three mega projects promoted by the government, the nuclear power regulation budget has been stagnant for five years.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has begun reviewing the standard design approval of the innovative small module nuclear reactor (i-SMR) being promoted by the government, and demand for response is increasing, including preparing SMR technical standards by next year.

However, next year's nuclear energy regulation budget is on the decline, decreasing by 4.9% compared to this year's 111.3 billion won.

Representative Lee Joo-hee said, "As the demand for electricity increases due to AI and the role of nuclear power plants grows, regulations to check safety must also grow so that the public can use nuclear power plants with peace of mind."

He then emphasized, “Nuclear power plant expansion and safety regulations cannot go separately,” and “In this budget review, we must first increase our safety regulation capabilities by expanding the nuclear power regulation budget and professional manpower.”