The Russia-Ukraine war and the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology are causing an explosion in electricity demand. It is undoubtedly a complex situation politically and economically, but it is most important that our country does not lose its competitiveness in the nuclear power sector. I expect a 'nuclear renaissance' to come soon worldwide.
In a special session held on the theme of 'changes in future electricity markets and the role of nuclear power' at the 2025 Korea Nuclear Annual Conference held at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Professor Jeong Beom-jin of Kyunghee University, who served as the chair, noted this. The Korea Atomic Energy Association organizes the annual conference around this time every year to commemorate the commercial operation start date of Kori Unit 1 (April 29, 1978). It is a venue for discussing important agendas in the domestic and international nuclear community, gathering government, industry, academia, and international organizations.
The first speaker, Vice President Ji Hyun-ki of Samsung Electronics, emphasized that a stable supply of large-scale electricity must be ensured for the development of the semiconductor industry. Ji Hyun-ki stated, 'The quality can decrease and safety accidents can occur due to even a brief power outage of just 0.1 seconds. To make our country's semiconductor industry competitive, stable supply of large volumes of electricity with no carbon emissions and price competitiveness must be ensured in the metropolitan area.'
Kim Cheol-jin, CEO of SK Advanced, introduced the concept of an 'Ecotopia,' a carbon-neutral smart city. Ecotopia refers to a city equipped with grids for electricity, heat, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2), ensuring energy autonomy.
CEO Kim commented, 'Only irreplaceable technologies can be South Korea's sole survival strategy,' adding, 'We should consider building and managing industrial complex cities as Ecotopias and expanding to other cities.'
Carol Berrigan, Senior Manager of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), explained that the nuclear industry in the United States is receiving bipartisan support. Berrigan noted, 'In the U.S., there is a recognition that energy demand is surging, and nuclear power is being supported regardless of political affiliation. Not only has the operating life of nuclear reactors been extended to over 80 years, but there are also efforts to restart closed reactors. Support for nuclear power is high even at the state government level.'
Thomas Grifflth, Licensing Manager at Nuscale Power, explained about small modular reactors (SMRs). Nuscale Power is the only SMR company to receive standard design certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Grifflth stated, 'Electricity demand will inevitably increase globally due to climate change, the rise of data centers, and the growing demand for electric vehicles, and Nuscale's SMRs are safe, structurally simple, and have low greenhouse gas emissions.'
Director General Kim Han-gon of the Innovative SMR Technology Development Project Team forecasted that it would be possible for innovative SMRs in our country to replace aging coal-fired power plants.
Son Yang-hoon, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Incheon, summarized, 'Electricity production cannot suddenly increase massively. It takes 10 years to build a nuclear power plant and even longer for an SMR. As electricity demand is rising, meeting this demand immediately might be burdensome. We need to consider ways to supply electricity over time.'