The government will conduct a three-month public opinion-gathering process to decide on the additional construction of nuclear power plants. The plan is to determine the necessity and scale of new nuclear facilities through deliberative forums by citizen participation groups, public debates, and online public opinion collection.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment reported the 'Nuclear Power Public Consultation Promotion Plan' containing these contents at a State Council meeting on the 22nd.
This public consultation is being launched to decide on additional nuclear power plant construction in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, which outlines the medium- to long-term electricity plan through 2040. With rapid increases in electricity demand due to the expansion of advanced industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, the importance of nuclear power as a baseload power source is also growing.
The government plans to move beyond simply asking for or against new nuclear power plant construction, instead comprehensively discussing the role of nuclear power as one of several alternatives to meet future electricity demand.
The public consultation will proceed in a manner similar to the Shin-Kori 5 and 6 public consultation promoted during the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out process. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will first establish the 'Nuclear Power Public Consultation Committee for the Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand' as the central body for opinion gathering. The committee will consist of up to 11 experts, including one chairperson.
The chairperson will be appointed from among neutral individuals capable of fairly leading the public consultation process. Members will be selected as neutral persons who are not stakeholders in nuclear power, based on recommendations from relevant institutional investors and organizations in fields such as humanities and social sciences, science and technology, survey statistics, conflict management, and energy. Experts in the nuclear field will form a separate expert committee to provide specialized information necessary for the public consultation process.
The main public consultation discussions will be conducted by citizen participation groups. The citizen participation group, composed of representative citizens, will proceed with deliberative discussions after being provided with sufficient opportunities for learning and debate.
Public debates involving experts and online public opinion collection will also be conducted in parallel to broadly gather opinions not only from the citizen participation group but also from various citizens and stakeholders.
The public consultation committee will collect public opinions and make recommendations to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The ministry will establish the Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand by comprehensively reviewing the results of the public consultation along with professional assessments on electricity supply and demand, grid systems, etc.
Kim Sung-hwan Gi Hu-bu (Minister) stated, "The 12th Basic Plan for Electricity is a meaningful plan established for the first time since the inauguration of the national sovereignty government," adding, "Through this public consultation, we will fully listen to diverse opinions from citizens regarding the role of nuclear power and ensure that the results are faithfully reflected in future energy policies."
in ECONOMY
