SMR 127.5 billion won, nuclear fusion 284 billion won... Nuclear R&D is also at an all-time high

SMR 127.5 billion won, nuclear fusion 284 billion won... Nuclear R&D is also at an all-time high

Hwang Jeong-ah “Energy technology is a national strategic asset”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seung-han = As securing power in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as the core of competition for hegemony, the government has significantly increased investment in research and development (R&D) in the energy sector in next year's budget.

According to the annual energy technology-related R&D status data submitted by the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 7th by Hwang Jeong-ah, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the total energy technology-related R&D budget within the Ministry of Science and ICT was KRW 733.6 billion, an increase of 48% compared to this year, reaching an all-time high.

The nuclear R&D budget was calculated to be 386.4 billion won based on the government plan, an increase of 16.6% compared to this year and the highest ever.

In particular, the R&D budget for small module nuclear reactors (SMR, power generation capacity 300,000 kW class) belonging to the 7 major SEED projects surged 55.7% compared to this year to KRW 127.5 billion, leading to an increase in the nuclear R&D budget.

Among the seven major seeds, the budget for nuclear fusion R&D, another axis in the energy sector, more than doubled from the previous year to 284 billion won, and new and renewable energy also increased 64% to 21.5 billion won.

Rep. Hwang explained that this is 2.4 times higher than in 2024, when the R&D budget was cut by the Yoon Seok-yeol government.

Rep. Hwang Jeong-ah said, “Energy technology in the AI ​​era will be a national strategic asset, and national power will be determined by electricity. Nuclear power, renewable energy, and nuclear fusion must all be treated in the language of future hegemony response and practicality, and we must create an irreplaceable energy powerhouse that is unshakable by external shocks such as the Middle East conflict.”