Seoul running out sites for spent fuel

SEOUL— South Korea needs to quickly find additional space to store spent nuclear fuel because some of its temporary storage capacity will be full by 2016, an independent body that advises the government on nuclear issues said yesterday.

The country has 23 nuclear reactors supplying about a third of its power. Seoul has been under pressure to cut its reliance on nuclear power since late 2012 when safety scandals led to the temporary shutdown of reactors to replace parts supplied with fake certificates.

At the end of last year, 13,254 tonnes of spent fuel was being held in temporary storage at nuclear plants, according to data from the commission, mostly in water tanks but some in concrete containers.

Public disquiet over nuclear power and disposal of spent fuel has also risen because of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Spent fuel was stored in water at the Fukushima plant, too. As at most Japanese plants, spent fuel is stored on site at Fukushima.

In South Korea, a Public Engagement Commission grouping 13 nuclear experts, professors, city council members and an official from a private environmental watchdog was formally set up in October last year to take account of public opinion on spent nuclear fuel issues and feed into policy decisions.