Launch of iSMR Technology Development Business Team..."Exclusion of US technology from the beginning to block export controls in advance."

[Daily Korea Reporter Ahn Hee-min] The journey toward developing Korean-style small nuclear power plant module iSMR has begun. On the 10th, I met with Kim Han-gon, head of the Innovative Small Module Reactor Technology Development Division, who will lead the technology development of iSMR, whose design will be completed in 2025.

Director Kim Han-gon said that he would place the highest priority on securing ‘safety’ in the development of iSMR. This is because safety must be ensured to facilitate acceptance by residents and export. iSMR stands for innovative small module reactor and is called ‘innovative small module nuclear power plant’.

Director Kim said, “The most important thing about iSMR is to prevent accidents,” and added, “We need to properly explain this to the public so that they can accept it with confidence in any region.”

According to Director Kim, the goal for iSMR is to complete the design by the end of 2025 and receive standard design approval in 2028. If the iSMR is judged to have a high level of completeness, construction will begin before standard design approval to accelerate the completion date.

He said, “If we receive permits and prepare for construction from the time the iSMR is completed, it may be too late,” and added, “Once the operator determines that they can obtain permits, we will prepare for construction.” He continued, “By the next year (2025), the outline of where and how the first iSMR unit will be installed will be revealed.”

Director Kim is able to present a blueprint from iSMR design to completion because he has 30 years of experience in nuclear power plant design, including APR-1400, a large Korean nuclear power plant. Although there are problems with commercialization, the experience of participating in the smart nuclear power plant development project, which is the origin of iSMR, is also taking a backseat.

He said, “It started under the previous government and has received support from both the ruling and opposition parties, and when I saw the announcement for the head of the iSMR project jointly developed by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Trade, “I applied because I thought it would be better,” he said.

He continued, “The smart nuclear power plant is an integrated nuclear reactor that received standard design approval for the first time in the world in 2011. “It is a well-made nuclear power plant with the technology of the time, but I wish the technology had been applied now,” he explained. “The world is accepting iSMR because iSMR can replace coal power generation and perform things that large nuclear power plants cannot.”

Director Kim said that, unlike large nuclear power plants, we are keeping in mind from the beginning that iSMR is not subject to U.S. export controls.

He said, “In the case of large nuclear power plants, we decided to follow US export controls in accordance with the Korea-US Nuclear Energy Agreement, but ISMR is developed independently without such an agreement, so it does not have the restrictions that large nuclear power plants have.” He added, “The iSMR Technology Development Project Group uses American technology. “We always check at the beginning to avoid doing this,” he explained.

At the launch ceremony on the 10th, Director Kim also mentioned Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kang Kyung-seong's order to expedite standard design approval.

He said, “The three years between completing the iSMR design and receiving standard design approval are purely a matter between the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission) and the business operator.” He added, “Because the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission is a regulatory agency that determines safety, the timing of standard design approval is without any basis.” cannot be brought forward. “In order to accelerate that time, we need to increase the safety and completeness of iSMR, and in that sense, we are taking this to mean further improving safety and completeness.”

In response to the criticism that iSMR's schedule is later than that of the U.S. NuScale, which proposed a commercialization schedule of 2026, Director Kim responded, "NewScale is not a competitor."

He said, “Because the global SMR market is so large, I don’t think it is a big problem that the U.S. NuScale developed it 2-3 years earlier than Korea. Rather, it is important that NuScale succeeds.” He said, “The awareness that SMR works will only spread if the previous product succeeds properly,” and added, “If Newscale’s SMR development is delayed or fails, Korea will also be affected.”

Director Kim also spoke about harmony between SMR and renewable energy.

He said, “The only power sources that do not emit carbon are renewable energy and nuclear power. In the case of solar power, electricity is produced during the day, but there is a gap in the morning and evening, and I think SMR can fill this gap.” He added, “Currently, natural gas power generation makes up for the gap in solar power, but natural gas emits greenhouse gases and is not an alternative.”

Director Kim expressed confidence in the development of iSMR, saying, “Korea is a country with the potential to never rest in the development of nuclear technology for the past 30 years. With this experience as the foundation and the National Assembly has promised to support it, I think the development of iSMR is fully possible.”